Why I Will Not Be Playing Pokemon Go | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

Why I Will Not Be Playing Pokemon Go

In a crime-ridden world, Pokémon Go isn't worth the distraction.

9
Why I Will Not Be Playing Pokemon Go
i.ytimg.com

I liked Pokémon when I was a kid. I didn't love it — I wasn't one of the kids sitting under a tree at recess playing the trading card game, and as I didn't own a handheld gaming device until I was in high school, I didn't play much of the game. But I did have a stack of Pokémon cards that I kept neatly stacked in a Barbie lunch box throughout elementary school — perhaps the only thing in my room that I didn't allow to get trampled on — and I have fond memories of having box seats at a White Sox game when I was seven, during which my cousins and I played Pokémon Red on a game boy and ate ridiculous amounts of junk food while our dads watched the game.

It wasn't a love affair. For me, Pokémon occupies the same fond space in my childhood memories as American Girl Dolls and Beanie Babies: I enjoyed them, but eventually they lost their luster. Perhaps that was one reason why, when I heard Pokémon Go would be coming out, I wasn't overly excited.

As an advocate for casual gaming, I thought I would probably play it at some point so that I had something to say about it. But every time I thought about playing it, I just winced. I work an office job and as my fiancé and I are both gamers, we spend far too much time staring at a screen as it is. The thought of yanking my phone out during the few free minutes I have left in the real world was not exactly enticing.

I know myself well enough to know that if I were to play Pokémon Go, I would become obsessed. Did I really want to be obsessed with some virtual game during my walks with my fiancé? On family vacations to exotic locations, did I want to be yanking out my phone so I could capture a cartoon?

It was as these thoughts were circulating my brain that the stories started coming in. Armed robbers used Pokémon Go to isolate victims. A couple left their toddler home alone so they could search for Pokémon. Right in Brewer, Maine a woman intentionally hit a player with her car.

Pokémon Go is not to blame for these crimes. There's no reason why playing a mobile game should lead to crime and death.

Unfortunately, we live in an imperfect world. As important as it is for us to try to make the world a better place, it is equally important for us to acknowledge the imperfections of the world we live in to keep ourselves safe. The blogger who acknowledged that he could not safely play Pokémon Go as a black man was not saying that he should not be able to play. Rather, he was acknowledging the fact that racial bias exists in our world.

Even if I didn't already think that playing a phone game 24/7 brings us a little too close to living like the chair-bound people in the movie, "Wall-E," the recent crimes surrounding Pokémon Go have led me to believe that our current world is not ready for this game. Our world is still too imperfect and, until we have improved conditions, playing Pokémon Go seems unworthy of the liability.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

4616
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments