The world is absolutely abuzz with Pokèmon GO fever. People young and old are all getting into it.
I personally grew up with the original Pokèmon games. So seeing it become something so advanced and so widely loved makes my inner child feel at peace.
But is the hype doing it justice?
I see dozens of posts every day on Facebook alone. “Tips and tricks”, “Pokèmon player dies” and “The things they don’t want you to know” are some of the more frequent. Are they real? Or are we just being taken for a ride? Being “Trolled”.
When the articles come from unreliable sites (none of which I will name) it becomes difficult to believe what is read on social media. The number of times an older person has said to me, “Oh that crap will kill you, I read it on Facebook.” I have simply had to hold my tongue. I don’t feel a need to argue with someone who will believe everything they read on social media without doing at least a little research into the topic first.
Granted, some of the articles have been posted to assist players in their adventures. Others however can be more destructive. For example:
One article stated that “A super quick and easy way to hatch an egg is to place your phone, with Pokèmon running, on the edge of your microwave plate. Then run the microwave for 30 seconds.”
As most people would know, this is not only dangerous but also a really silly idea. Unfortunately, there are some people out there who, out of curiosity or simply for kicks, have done things just like this.
Pokèmon GO has also been the target of conspiracy theorists the world over. Some say it is “Turning our kids into robots” or that it is “Using sound waves to control our minds.”
I personally see no reason that this game, when used properly and safely, should be considered anything more than a social success. I have seen many people in my hometown gather at certain times of the day catching Pokèmon and conversing as if computers no longer existed. I personally spend hours walking with friends and family catching and hatching my Pokèmon.
Eventually, the hype will die down and this will become just another game that people play but for now, the creators are the centre of the world's attention.
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