Writing the story on page one required very little research for me, so if you can’t already tell, I’ll admit that I grew up a Pokémon fanatic.
Pokémon introduced me personally to a much more sophisticated brand of video games.
No longer was I just playing a Mario-type game where you run from left to right and avoid obstacles in the most simplistic way possible.
It was much more complicated than that.
Not only did you have full range of movements and directions, but there were objectives that took time and energy to complete.
And that was the main difference from the other stuff. At 8-years-old, it was the first time that I felt like I had actually accomplished something.
Beating a gym after raising a Pokémon to extremely high levels and searching far and wide to find the smallest possible point to catch a Pokémon that only resides there and there alone were insanely gratifying feelings.
Sure, in the grand scheme of things, it’s insignificant. It doesn’t matter. It’s just a game.
But it taps into my nostalgia in a special way that maybe three other things in this world are capable of doing.
And it seems to have done the same to many more.
So, rightfully so, I was ecstatic when it returned, not in its current form that’s on the 3DS or whatever handheld system that Nintendo has on the shelves today, but in its glorious original form that my friends and I fell in love with all those years ago.
The same, familiar explosion of interest happened once again, and I was at the forefront of it yet again.
Only this time, many more people seem to be interested in the phenomenon.
People I knew when I was younger that mocked it unmercifully are now huge proponents of the game, texting me to brag about the weakest Pokémon in the game that they were so proud to have caught. They really don’t know any better, and I can’t be expected to teach all of the nuances of the game to these people.
Parents don’t seem to dread it like they did when I was a kid. It’s embraced as an opportunity for them to spend time with their children.
It’s been quite the social experiment to see how people have reacted to the resurgence of Pokémon, and there have been tons of ripple effects that have followed behind the booming trend.
Pokémon Go has done more for the physical well-being of the general population than any modern innovation of my time. People that probably have not exercised in years are walking up and down the streets in this miserable heat for the slim chance that they catch a Snorlax or a Taurus.
People from all walks of life, even the nerdiest crew that hates sunlight and sweating, have joined in the numerous marches and gatherings that have taken place.
The general sense of community throughout the country has improved dramatically since the game’s creation. Parks all over Jackson, as well as other metro areas in the United States, are filled to the brim on Saturday afternoons with people playing the game, asking each other questions and comparing their respective rosters.
Many cities and businesses are doing what they can to exploit the craze, organizing events to get more people involved.
Cities like Kansas City, Sacramento and many others put together Pokémon pub crawls to give their older clientele an opportunity to do some catching and imbibing.
For the younger crew, major city landmarks that have numerous Pokéstops (where you get more Pokéballs and can lure Pokémon to) have become major gathering points. A friend of mine went to Biloxi this past weekend and commented on how more than 200 people gathered around a lighthouse just for that purpose.
Some sly business owners are paying to have specific Pokémon put into their restaurants/stores, but the catch is you have to make a purchase to catch them.
The biggest positive of all, however, has been seeing people of different ethnicities and backgrounds get to meet each other and learn more about each other because of a “silly, little game.”
The world is in a bit of a state of disarray with terrorist attacks, murders and thievery happening on a daily basis.
People are hurting.
People are scared.
People don’t know what’s going to happen next, and they have every right to feel that way.
Pokémon Go has been therapeutic for a lot of people, allowing them to forget about the evils of the world if only for a few fleeting moments.
If a game can inspire people to come together, laugh and enjoy themselves, is it really that dumb after all?
If you’re still reading this, God bless you. You’re either interested in Pokémon or my ramblings, and it pleases me either way.
If you are here to learn more about the game that has consumed a large portion of most people’s free time, just download it.
It’s a free game and super easy to play.
And it’s a nice feeling to be involved with something everyone else is doing.
There’s nothing quite like peer pressure to get the old blood flowing.
So, go ahead and start catching them. You have a long ways to go to catch up to me.
