Many of my friends have been busy traveling across the land, searching far and wide. And then they post about their “catch of the night” on Facebook. Pokemon GO has exploded onto the scene and it’s got everyone talking. Despite all this excitement, Clayton Imoo has indicated that he is no fan and he has zero interest in trying to “get it.” Maybe he’s just a old Luddite.
Indeed, Brock McLaughlin is in the completely opposite camp, offering his response to people who are hating on “old nerds” for playing the game. You may have seen memes saying that people are too busy being adults to play such a silly game. Brock disagrees, explaining how this game could help small business grow. It’s convincing indoorsy types to venture beyond their doors and you can capitalize on this phenomenon.
One great benefit to the game, as pointed out by Fiona Macdonald, is that the act of going around to collect a Snorlax or a Clefairy is actually helping people with depression. This is hardly scientific at this point, but many people have taken to Twitter to proclaim how playing has changed their lives for the better. It could be thanks to the simple fact that Pokemon GO forces players to get up, go outside, walk around and explore. Maybe it’s the motivation factor and the sense of purpose.
Turning to an entirely different topic that has been making the news lately, Chris Farley Ratcliffe takes a moment to explore his white privilege. In light of the recent police shootings and the rising prominence of the Black Lives Matter movement, Chris asks if he is a part of the problem. In his own words, “Racism is a foreign concept to me.” He fears he may have just been paying lip service this whole time and not really moving toward being a part of the solution.
And finally, we open our eyes with Mantas J as he shares the best travel photographs of the year as chosen by National Geographic. The image that took home the big prize depicts a Mongolian man wrangling up a group of horses among the morning mist. It’s a truly stunning work. Among the other notable photographs, you’ll find images of red foxes on the run in Japan, a green and bustling New York City, and families sleeping on a rooftop in India.
I don’t want to hear about small businesses growing their business with a game like this. That is just not how you run a business because no one iCards about the business that is playing the game. They are not the customer you want and you hazard the high chance of losing loyal customers that you already have.
People have become so addicted to the game they have walked into traffic and been hit by cars. People have swerved across 2 lanes of traffic to get to that pokeStop causing an accident. Thieves have used it to lure people to sites or locations to rob them. Guys/strangers are using it as a prop to hit on women.
This is not a good thing. Since Yelp has jumped in to give users the locations of businesses using PokeStops so people can find them I have started using it to make sure I avoid those businesses.