In Loving Memory of the Pokemon That Got Away

Oh Rapidash,

You came so fast

And made my heart flutter

But then you were gone,

I had to settle for Kingler

Who’s just a big cutter.

As every Pokémon fan knows, you can’t always catch every Pokémon you come across right away. You have to sort your way through a swarm of Zubats and forests of tall grass to finally catch the Pokemon you want. This sentiment has certainly not seen any change with the release of Pokemon Go (right down to the swarms of Zubats).

Despite this same sentiment though, there are plenty of new things that Pokemon Go brings to the table for all its players. Aside from the obvious facts of this being Nintendo’s first mobile game, and that the game itself utilizes new technology, this particular Pokemon game is definitely playing a huge role in promoting exercise, adventure, and communication.

First and foremost, you cannot play this game as a couch potato. Even if you decide to pay out the nose for coins so that you can buy incense (which will attract Pokemon to your location for 30 minutes), staying in one place can only give you so many types of Pokemon. If you want anything beyond Pokemon like Weedle, Caterpie, Pidegy, and Nidoran, for example, you need to be up and moving around. Pokemon Go even acts as a sort of pedometer, tracking how many meters you walk. The more you walk, the higher the medal you receive, and the more eggs you are able to hatch to receive even more types of Pokemon (I recently hatched a Pinsir!)

Now, with all of this walking around, your map will start to display tufts of leaves blowing in the wind to simulate the classic “tall grass” that you should be looking out for. If you’re like me, and you have a regular walking route, you may end up having an entirely different route by the time you come back home after using this app. You may be walking past a street you’ve never really even thought of going down before when suddenly, you see the tall grass and one of your favorite Pokemon in the nearby legend. Before you know it, you’re rushing down the street to try and catch up and hopefully catch it. You might find an entirely new part of your town that you may not have even realized really existed. You’ll find some new favorite spots, new routes to walk, and more new places to start running towards.

In the midst of this running, you’re more than likely to end up running into people who are also trying to be the best trainers like no one ever was. Your own mother may even end up downloading the app herself which will result in the two of you spending over two hours out and about trying to catch Pokemon. You may also end up at a gym and battling a future friend. Just today, as I was walking my usual route, I had just got my Kingler, (from the above poem) and a boy I’d never even seen before noticed my screen and started talking to me about the Pokemon we had already caught and which ones we were hoping to catch. To tell you the truth, I really didn’t catch his name but regardless of that, I’m a person that hates talking to new people with a passion, and yet, here I was talking to this stranger about something I love as if we had been friends for ages. Without this game, I’m certain that would not have happened at all.

I just think that with everything going on in the world right now, with all the hate, the fear, the discord, and the violence, that it’s wonderful to have a game that is not only easily accessible, fun, but has the power to bring people together. I’m not saying that Pokemon will be the sole reason for world peace but I will say that it’s coming close.