An interesting thing is happening these days, and it goes by the name Pokémon Go. Maybe you've heard of it! One of my favorite requirements of the game is that you have to go outside to truly be a part of it. Working at a nature park conveniently turned Pokéstop, I have the enjoyment of encountering a myriad of super fun people both indoors and out. Over the last couple of weeks I have learned that there is no specific type of person that plays this game, but all of these dissimilar people have one common goal: to catch all the Pokémon that reside on our property as quickly as possible.

I am hearing from many friends and colleagues that they really hate this game. Like, really hate it. Most of them are saying things like, “This game is such a pain, there are kids everywhere all the time,” “I can’t go anywhere without running into a group of them,” “Kids never take their faces out of technology,” and, “They never pay attention to where they’re walking.” That’s just to name a few. Basically, it seems like everyone is either all in with this game, or all out. As a person who is not currently participating in Pokémon Go, I can’t really comment on the amazingness of the game, but I can comment on the amazingness of the community it is creating.

I am continuously seeing kids I know through work, who are usually too shy to share or speak, now having discussions at length with new people because they have transplanted a familiar environment (the world of Pokémon) into ours. That familiarity has made them feel safe in what they previously deemed an unsafe environment. Pokémon Go has made them brave, and it has brought them together.

Groups of people are walking to hatch eggs, screaming and laughing together when a Pokémon pops into view, and commiserating together when they are entirely unable to capture a super strong critter. Millions of people are spending their time in the same world, focused on the same enjoyment. I have never seen a game that has built such a wide community so quickly and intensely, especially one that encourages that community to spend time outdoors.

I have friends who work at other nature centers who tell me that their parking lot is so full that they have to physically close the gates, and that buildings that only used to see a handful of guests a day now have a steady flow of visitors all day long. Those members of the public are definitely using their parks for Pokémon Go, but the fact of the matter is, they are using their parks. Building an inclusive, enjoyable, heartfelt community is a beautiful thing, and building it in nature is even better.

Almost every single day I see Pokémon trainers joining each other on our park property, rain or shine. They hike together and return to eat lunch with friends. Sitting and laying on the grass where hands touch earth; where birds are singing and the wind is blowing through the trees. They are relaxing and connecting with the world, whether they mean to or not.

Our world needs us to know it. It needs eyes that see it and hands that tend it. It needs us to become immersed in it. To protect it. To feel with all their hearts that it is beautiful and necessary. That is something that isn’t going to happen indoors with preoccupied eyes glued to TV screens and hands to video game controllers.

The world we live in is dependent on technology. Our phones, iPads, Kindles, etc. are familiar, and for many they are constantly available. It's easy to blame all those screens, keypads, and pixels for issues we are having with raising children these days, but I think we need to realize that technology isn't going anywhere, and we shouldn’t want it to. We should be learning to work with the next generations by encouraging the use of technology, not trying to steal it away to the discomfort of so many. Make use of technology, don't pry it away. Work with, not against.

Many children today are not comfortable in nature because it’s unfamiliar. Some have never seen it, never communed with it, never enjoyed all the benefits it can provide. Forcing something upon an overwhelmed child with nothing familiar to cling to only pushes them deeper into a space that makes them feel unsafe, and ultimately, terrified.

Learning can’t happen in an unsafe environment. There is no room for growth; no room for expansion, absorbing, or adapting in a space where we don’t feel that one of our most basic needs is being met. Providing something familiar to focus on makes our hearts feel secure, and this virtual reality game does that for folks who aren’t necessarily nature lovers.

If we want people out in nature (and I wholeheartedly do), then we have to make them feel safe there. If you don't play Pokémon Go for one reason or another, that's OK! I don't feel pressured to play and neither should you. But if you choose not to play because of all the reasons my friends have complained about then I hope you can try to let go of all those negatives and appreciate how this game is bringing people together. People are happy, and it's happening in nature. If a Krabby on the front lawn of a nature center provides a comfortable, familiar space to cultivate a community that can appreciate and protect the world in which we live, then that's alright with me!