A few weeks ago I posted my opinion about the Pok茅mon Go craze on Facebook.
Surprisingly, within a few hours, I had dozens of comments - both positive and negative - about the popular new game (and I don鈥檛 even have that many friends).
Of all the things I鈥檝e posted over the past few years on Facebook, that was the topic that caused the most controversy.
If you haven鈥檛 caught up on all the news, Pok茅mon Go is a game in which players try to capture exotic monsters using their smartphones. Since the virtual creatures are alongside real-world objects, the game encourages players to go out and visit public landmarks.
In just a few days after its launch, the game seems to have taken over the entire world. Although I haven鈥檛 seen many people playing it in 亚洲天堂 Lake, you don鈥檛 have to go too far to see how big this game has become.
CBC recently reported that business owners in Prince George鈥檚 downtown core are getting an influx of new customers thanks to the game. Players are attracted to the downtown core due to its high volume of 鈥減okestops鈥� - in-game areas where you can collect new items and earn points.
But while the game presents some advantages, we鈥檝e also been seeing a great amount of reports of people tripping, falling, being hit by cars, and even being lured to isolated locations where they were robbed. The game is also becoming an inconvenience for some cities. The city of Toronto, for example, has asked Pok茅mon Go makers to remove a pokestop from a popular ferry terminal because hundreds of people have been camped out almost 24 hours a day by the terminal trying to hunt the virtual monsters.
But what鈥檚 surprising to me is that some people have vehemently defended this game, saying it encourages people to 鈥済o out and explore the world.鈥�
Well, yes, the extra physical activity can definitely be positive, but I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 accurate to say that the game has encouraged people to 鈥済o out and explore the world.鈥�
Here鈥檚 why. Have you seen videos of large crowds in public spaces hunting playing this game? If you haven鈥檛, I highly recommend that you find one.
I recently watched one where there were hundreds of people in a New York park hunting for the virtual monsters. Honestly, it made me feel sad - they all looked like modern-day zombies (and not in a cool way).
Although there were hundreds of people gathered in that park, it was extremely quiet - they were all staring at their phones without making any eye contact or talking to each other. It felt lifeless (and a tiny bit scary).
As most people in Northern B.C. would know, 鈥済oing out and exploring鈥� has nothing to do with that image - it鈥檚 about being in touch with nature, paying attention to your surroundings, connecting with other people and with yourself. So I definitely don鈥檛 buy it when people defend the game by saying it鈥檚 making people have a healthier lifestyle. It simply isn鈥檛.
Exploring the world has nothing to do with staring at your phone screen.
