First let me start off by saying I am not a player of the Pokemon Go app that everyone can’t stop talking about. Call me old fashioned, or just downright too busy for phone games, but I have not had the opportunity to try any of the apps that use GPS coordinates to find things in the “real
world” through my phone. Shoot, I hardly have enough time to check my Facebook as regularly as I should! I do however have friends that use GPS-based gaming apps for things like geocaching, finding portals in an imaginary worldwide battle between two forces (Ingress), and of
course Pokemon Go. But before anyone criticizes these people for having too much time on their hands, let me state that I think it sure beats sitting in their truck cabs listening to CB chatter at a truck stop all day! At least they are doing something to get out and walk around in an effort to “Collect Them All”!
I have had great success in using my phone to further my exercise goals by using my Fitbit bracelet and app, so I am a believer that games like this can help encourage folks to get out and walk who might otherwise not be so inclined to do so on their own. Just as there are a lot of great walking trails near some truck stops and rest areas, I would also assume that there are also great places to find Pokemon along these trails and walkways as well.
With every good thing though, comes the potential for the bad though and in cases of careless use, Pokemon Go has led to some not so great things happening as well. Most people heard by now of people visiting remote areas and finding human remains and even a man’s private home being a Pokemon gym with players camped out front. I was turned onto some of these incidents by a story recently published in US Weekly titled
“Pokemon GO: The Eight Wierdest Incidents So Far”. One other story I heard via my Facebook feed involved someone walking off a cliff trying to find all of the imaginary characters for his own collection.
Before you go out and try to catch Pokemon, be sure you are in a safe position to do so! Definitely DO NOT use the app while driving and be aware of dangerous situations around while you are playing. The pictures I have here were taken just after I witnessed the young son of a driver unloading next to me get consoled on not roaming the warehouse yard to play his Pokemon game. In my eyes it seems like just
plain common sense not to wander the grounds of this warehouse, whether I was playing a game or not, with its dim lighting, yard goats moving about, and trucks backing in and out. Always use your best judgement before playing any game involving taking your eyes and concentration off of the primary task at hand, even if that task is just walking around!
Feel free to share in the comments section below any other games like this you might be playing that help you get out and about, weird places you have found Pokemon, or even stories of what you’ve seen while out in the world and watching people around you play.