While sitting at an extended red light earlier this week due to pedestrian traffic, I Observed a gentleman walking down the sidewalk with his cell phone extended outward. Without warning, he stopped abruptly and started circling his tracks, still holding his phone away from his body and moving it alternately in an up and down motion to side to side. Dismissing it as an over exaggeration in an attempt to find a darker spot so he could see what was on his screen, the light finally turned green and I went on my way.
After seeing several posts on the internet and hearing a few news stories about accidents and injuries, my wife and I enlisted the "in" tech knowledge of our son. As he explained to us what all the hoopla was about, I finally put two and two together and realized hat what I had witnessed at the stoplight a few days earlier was indeed a man playing Pokémon Go. Over the years, most people have been exposed to Pokémon in one way or another, but for those, like me, that haven't been educated about the newest game in the franchise, the best way I can explain it will still leave questions for some, but here goes. The game is a cell phone application that uses GPS to pinpoint your location, alerts you by sending images through your camera of wild Pokémon that aren't there, allows you to throw pokéballs that aren't real to capture the pocket monsters that don't exist in order collect them and challenge other players to fantasy battles..... simple... right? Needless to say.... it's selling like imaginary hotcakes.
Although "free" to download and play, the game utilizes in-app purchases that let's players buy (with real money) game pieces, like pokéballs and other items that support the main game. In just the past week, the game has had over 15 million downloads, has seen over 21 million people playing it and is raking in over 2 million dollars a day in app-purchase sales. It has also raised partial partner Nintendo's stock values as much as 20%. Can you say "Kaching"ion? I choose you Cashcowachu! Makes me wish I had some money to invest in the early nineties. I missed the Shopkins train just recently.
As with all fads that attract so many people, the launch of the game has not come without controversy. It has already been blamed for injures caused by players not paying attention to their surroundings from walking into traffic and other obstacles to car accidents brought on by playing while driving. I guess texting has met it's proverbial match. Police departments have used social media to warn players not to play and drive and the game itself reminds users at start up to be aware of dangers around them. On a side note, I'd like to point out that even though some will no doubt shake a judgmental finger at young people using this technology as the main cause of the trouble, however, the sheer longevity of Pokémon has brought all ages together in this new adaption as the man I saw playing was closer to my age than my son's. I, myself, am guilty of being able to name almost all of the original 151 Pokémon and have played virtually every game from Pokémon Yellow on a Game Boy Color to Snap on Nintendo 64 and XD on the Game Cube..... Wait!.... did I just let my geek show?
On the technological side of the issue I would remind you, my fellow Observers, that I have stated numerous times in the past that although I find our advances beneficial to our society, it's what society does with the technology that I find worrisome. Never before have we been so connected to one another and yet so further apart. We have allowed it to take the place of interaction with each other while monopolizing our time with useless distractions. On the other hand, I will concede that sometimes technology can show us how easy it is to bring so many together and, in rare cases, we can use those "useless distractions" to help us understand how to interact with our fellow humans.
The irony is that, for some unknown reason, my loyal reader, we seem to be able to work together and agree with one another within the fantasy of a game but not the reality of our cultures. For example, even though there have been many versions of Pokémon based on different colors, Yellow, Red, Green, Sapphire, Gold, etcetera, there has never been any pride or affiliation attached to the color you choose to play. It's simply a different incarnation of the same game. Outside of a few variants that make it slightly unique to a certain Pokémon, there is no difference. Moreover, there is actually a certain amount of social harmony within this make believe world. People don't judge Pikachu because he is yellow. No one questions his attack moves based on his ethnicity. They simply accept him for what he is and the limits of his abilities. You don't see Squirtle carrying a "Water Type Lives Matter" sign around town or organizing protest rallies inciting prejudice against fire types. Charmander never seems to be profiled by Officer Jenny because she thinks he looks out of place in a ghost type neighborhood and she's convinced he's going to commit arson. I'm sure you'll never hear about Bulbasaur climbing to the top of a building in Pallet Town and using vine whip on gym leaders who he feels are biased against grass types and Mew never plays the reverse prejudice due to affirmative action card against Brock because he favors rock type Pokémon.
We've all heard the philosophy that everything we need to know in life is taught to us in kindergarten. I, for one, even had the poster for a while...You know, the one with the apple on it, but I submit that we can learn even more from playing or even just Observing a game of Pokémon. First of all, the game is played exactly the same way in every town, in every city, in every country around the world. The rules for one are the rules for all. No special treatment is given to those players who have more Pokémon than most. They are held in no higher regard that those that have less. Likewise goes for the players who don't have half as many, believe they deserve more Pokémon and expect other players to give them some of theirs. There is also no exception to the rules for the players who think that they have been oppressed because they feel that some other players have mistreated their Pokémon or are holding them back from certain achievements. In all cases, opinions or attitudes the playing field is level no matter who you are or what you insinuate.
We accept all the rules of this game without question, without protest, without the complications of controversy. We simply abide by the guidelines set by it's developers and take pleasure in the same benefits equally within the structure of those rules. We also share common ground with each other while playing. It seems the only issue that matters is the enjoyment of the game we are participating in... again, no question, no protest, no controversy. Even though I have stated that sometimes we fall victim to the inhuman hand of technology, we have to ponder that when we forget about our differences while using it, if we are not better off by practicing faceless interaction. If we take into consideration what has been occurring when we do communicate face to face, the question is more complicated than most of us are willing to admit. After all, what would be more beneficial to our society? Interaction laced with prejudice and violence on our streets or interaction that promotes acceptance behind the veil of a computer screen? It all comes down to how we choose to act towards one another and if we choose to accept that the diversity of our cultures are in fact the foundation of our commonality or not. For as much of the collective effort we all put into a game, imagine what we could accomplish if the same was applied to our communities. Strictly an Observation. If you'll excuse me, I just saw an Evee.
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