All right, NOW what is he whining about? That popular video game that everyone young and old is playing? An innocent game that doesn't hurt a fly, and he's going to whine about it? It would appear that way. My blog, my rules.
So what is Pokémon Go? Here's a description from wikipedia: Pokémon Go is an augmented reality mobile game developed and published by Niantic for iOS and Android devices. A part of the Pokémon franchise, it was first released in certain countries in July 2016, and in other regions over the next few months.
Did you get that? Mmm-hmmm.
So why am I writing about this? The truth is that while a quick game of Donkey Kong, Jezzball, Pac Man or Tetris is a fun way to kill a few minutes on the throne, or fill a few minutes on your break at work, Pokémon Go is a little...different. See, the other games mentioned—and most any video game—have a starting point and an end point. Typically, you get three chances or "men." Lose one, you're still OK. Lose two, and it's critical. Lose three, and it's game over and time to get back to work or whatever you were doing.
I'm not going to lie. I'm as far from being a knowledgeable video game player as I am from the moon. Honestly, I've never been much of a "gamer," as it were. Sure, when I was a young guy back in the '70s and '80s, I hit the arcades now and then. But it wasn't my scene, man. There was no way I was going to spend all day and all of my money playing video games. I had too many other ways to spend money.
Back in the '70s, who'da thunk that we'd have these devices that not only enabled us to call others from wherever we were, but could give us information and provide a way to play video games for free almost as much as we wanted? But they're here! Cellular telephones—"cell phones" for short. As long as you have juice in your battery, you're good to go.
Remember those "virtual pets" back in the '90s? Tamagochis (taw-muh-GO-cheez), straight from Japan, were the big sensation. Our kids played with them. They needed to be fed and given attention just like a real, live pet. If neglected, they died. Diana had a couple of Tamagochis. She was about four or five at the time and they gave her something to play with. But you didn't simply turn off the game when you went to bed or out somewhere. You put them in "sleep mode." Play resumed when you woke up or returned. Since it was still on, you as the "pet parent" began taking care of it again.
As is typical, Tamagochis fell out of favor because like most new things, they didn't stay new very long. Been there, done that. Time for something new.
Some twenty-five years later, we have a new "virtual game" that has become crazy, cuckoopants popular. To be fair, I have never played the game (and don't intend to start), so I don't know exactly (or care) what the rules are or how the play of the game goes. What I do know is that it's apparently addictive because so many people have their faces glued to their phones, and there isn't enough acetone in all the world to get them unstuck. Therein lies the problem that you knew I'd get to some eleventeen paragraphs into this post.
The issues I will address here may not be issues for everyone, but definitely ones that concern me. I'm a people watcher and have always been, so I see things, but don't necessarily say anything. That keeps me mysterious. But I will address a couple of things here.
As quiet as I am, I do thoroughly enjoy visits with family and friends. It doesn't matter whether they come to my house or I go to theirs. Sitting around yakking, eating, laughing and reminiscing is a great way to spend an afternoon or evening. However, when several people in the group are staring at their phones, it isn't as much fun. I've even had people get up and go outside because their phone detected a Pokémon out there. If I weren't so nice, I'd say to go out there and catch it; just make sure you close and lock the door behind you when you leave.
Aside from the obnoxious sounds that most video games give off, they also require a player's undivided attention—and Pokémon Go is no different. As we know, there are some people who don't understand that it isn't a good idea to be playing a game while engaging in an activity that requires your attention. Driving, for instance. I have personally watched people playing Pokémon Go while driving a car. No problems there, said no one ever. Now, if you want to play while walking down the sidewalk and end up walking right into a pole or a building, then knock yourself out. But when your distraction takes your eyes off the road and your mind off of minding that two-ton contraption you're operating, then we have problems. I don't think I need to elaborate.
On a side note, when people are riding with me in my car, I keep the radio off. That tends to encourage good, old-fashioned conversation, which to me is a good thing. If anyone is playing Pokémon Go or anything noisy in the car when I'm driving, I usually ask if they'd put the game into silent mode. The beeps, explosions, gunfire, music or other sound effects can be distracting and obnoxious to me. However, they can still play the game, but there won't be any of the annoying noises that go along with it. That makes navigating Southern California freeways a lot easier for me. But, alas, there's always one who can't handle that, and either won't turn off the sound or they'll turn it off, but turn it back on 30 seconds later. [head hits steering wheel] I'm not about to get into an argument on the road, so I just suck it up. But it does make me less willing to drive to future events, and often means that next time I'll take my own car and meet everyone else there. You can go in your rolling video arcade.
When all is said, done, paid for, spit on and tagged, I really don't have any idea how this issue is going to be resolved. No one can force anyone to stop playing games on their phone. It really comes down to common sense, good etiquette and manners. You either have them or you don't. No one is perfect—most certainly not me. But I figured that I'd get this off my chest and provide a little food for thought. It might not be the tastiest food you've eaten, but I think it's good for you to chew on nonetheless.
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