Have you heard the latest craze, of people spending countless hours on their Smart Phones trying to catch Pokémon using the newly released app Pokémon Go?
There are thousands of people who have joined the Pokémon craze by downloading the app. From a business perspective, it’s estimated worth is now over US$9 million after receiving over 10 million downloads during its first week. This shows you the value of creating a product in demand.
It also shows you how addictive such a product for those people who purchase it. In many cases, viral video games are usually maligned for causing their users to be glued to their phone or computer for hours and hours. This recent app tries to break the mold, by encouraging users to explore the ‘real world’, where they can find even more Pokémon to capture.
But while there may be a physical component to the game itself, people are still focused on the phone in their hand instead of their surroundings. Thus, the players get so involvement, that they forget that the game and tangible and real world consequences.
In all truth, Pokémon Go is a fantasy game that takes you away from the hardships and negatives of the real world. It is augmented reality, blending the real world and digital world.
We have to be so careful with these types of fantasy games, because as much as many people want to escape the hardships and negatives of the real world, they should still have a connection to the people and places around them.
There have been many cases of businesses or private property owners having to put up ‘No Trespassing’ signs on their property to ensure that no Pokémon hunters are causing damage. There have even been a few hospitals who have had to remind the general public that while they might be open to the public — they have a job to do, and Pokémon hunters could cause a safety risk to that job.
We have even heard from police officers and other emergency personnel about the dangers of Pokémon hunters not paying attention to their surroundings. There have been increased warnings to drivers not to try to Pokémon hunter while behind the wheel.
There have even been several businesses who have to remind their employees that the work place is not a place to be Pokémon hunting.
In my opinion, the Pokémon Go app is one more technological distraction that is causing people to become detached with the people in their community. More and more you see people sitting around a table at a coffee place, and instead of paying attention to the person who they are sitting with — their attention is to the phone in their hands.
It is a sad fact of life that apps have become more important for some people, rather than the people in their lives.
Remember, that the real world teaches you to pay attention. It demands that you slow down to its pace. When we talk to other people about real problems, we learn to put ourselves in their place.
