But I've seen some folks on the internet who feel it's their duty to spread things like this:
Or who keep perpetuating blatantly false stories about how Pokemon Go caused a major traffic accident. Or who take to Twitter to announce their disdain for the game.
To which I say:
You guys.YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE INTO POKEMON GO. But that doesn't make you superior to other people. It doesn't mean you're better than other people. It means you're DIFFERENT from other people. It means you have different tastes and interests. OTHER PEOPLE PLAYING POKEMON GO DOESN'T MAKE YOUR LIFE WORSE.
In fact, the phenomenon is making life better for a lot of people. It's helping people overcome social anxiety and depression. It's allowing people to connect with one another. It's helping people explore their worlds. It's creating bonding opportunities for friends and family members. In a huge way, it's reminding people that we're all part of this big, huge, human family. I can go to a public park, and complete strangers can call out, "Are you a Pokemon trainer?" and we can all sit in the grass together doing this silly thing that connects us as people.
And if ever we needed something that connected us, it's now. It's been a rough year or so. (Decade?) Trump continues to gain popularity despite the fact that he has repeatedly done and said things that are blatantly racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic. ISIS continues to destroy lives and monuments. Black men continue to be killed by police officers. Our LGBTQ brothers and sisters are still not safe. So if there's something as harmless as a game that effectively brings huge amounts of people together, despite race, class, gender, political party, religion, or sexual orientation? Let's grab that and run with it.
Or at the very least, let other people grab it and run with it, even if you're not interested.
Love this, Liz, and it applies to so many things other than Pokemon! I'm always a little embarrassed to post things about loving Taylor Swift or being obsessed with my cat because I know people are rolling their eyes at it but like...COME ON! It's a silly, happy thing! LET ME HAVE IT. Anyways, thanks for saying this!
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Deal with it. There are so many things that people like that others do not. It's part of life. It's why sports and politics are always in the news. People like to not like things. If you are offended because people do not a stupid game. Grow up. You argue that Pokemon Go has people more connected, yet they are still tied to a screen. They are less observant of their surroundings even though they are starring at them through a screen. It's no different than a player addicted to WoW in his or her mother's basement, except they are outside. Setting does not improve the fact that he or she is still playing a video game.
ReplyDeleteIf you want a community to be more united, go do service, pick up trash, feed the homeless. Don't make excuses for a game that does nothing to benefit society other than gets people out of the house. They are out of the house but still not socializing. No meaningful conversation is taking place and no made up accommodation for Pokemon GO is going to change the fact that it is a false representation of reality.
Why is this person anonymous? If you have an opinion, stand by it. Don't be a coward.
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