What Do You Think of the Pokemon Go Craze?

It seems like a great idea, not much different than geocaching. I would rather my kids be outside doing this that sitting in the house. Unfortunately people are doing dumb things and getting a lot of attention for it.

There is one acquaintance on my FB feed that has posted several snotty things about it. They are an unhappy person in general and tearing down happy people is their m/o. If not Pokemon, it could be anything.

A local Pokemon Go group formed in my town and had an event yesterday. My friends have also posted photos while out with their kids, and there are a bunch of other people/groups walking around in the background too.

I see kids around here playing outside all the time, so this Pokemon thing isn't changing that very much. It is the adults! I walk/jog on a regular basis. When I do a 3-mile loop, I'm used to seeing only 1-3 other adults out total, either on foot or biking. Lately, I've seen closer to a dozen. :-)

The only thing that has irritated me are photos (not from people I know) posted from moving cars, and the article this morning about a verified Pokemon-related car crash. I assume they are the same sort of people who also text and drive, or take photos/videos while driving. This is a level of self-centeredness and lack of care for others that I just don't understand.

My girls do it and my son is thinking about it. It tells them how far they have walked, which is fantastic in my opinion, since walking is how you hatch them. If my son does go along with it, fantastic because right now, the only walking he does is pacing in the house and taking out the garbage. My track girl loves it (always has been a Pokémon fan) and has met a lot of people at the park and other places.

I do think though that they need to use common sense. I remind my kids to watch where they are going to pay attention to where they are an who is around them.

All the haters are so funny, they're like a bunch of busy body old fuddy duddies sitting on the front porch shaking their fists at all the young people having fun and bitching and moaning about how they think these young people "should" be spending their time. I feel sorry for these miserable people.
And obviously ANY activity is going to have it's share of idiots, so I don't see how this is any different. If you get hit by a bus playing Pokemon Go then you probably would have gotten hit by a bus doing anything else, because you are a clueless, careless person.
Gotta go, I think I see a Squirtle over there!

Nope. My boys installed it on their phones and went out - which was fine. They did it for a day and lost interest. Which, again, is fine by me.

There are hacks and I would prefer my kids phones not be subjected to it.

I've seen reports that a girl is blaming the game for her getting hit by a car. Um. No, you twit. the game SPECIFICALLY and on more than one occasion tells you pay attention to your surroundings.

I swear Darwin should be allowed to work!

It allows idiots to be very annoying. Same idiots we always have but they are now doing it in everyone's backyard, sometimes literally.

Most people playing it are not idiots, not annoying, and apparently having a lot of fun.

The handful of idiots are just happen to be getting all of the attention, because they are idiots. Really, walk off a cliff, that is Darwinism.

Patty's comment backs up my idiots getting the attention theory. You cannot spot a Pokemon if you are traveling above the speed of an okay runner. They made that clear. Still I had friends almost run over at the park by some middle aged idiot in a truck...

I read a quote on FB yesterday that said (paraphrased): For 5 years people sat on their couches for hours on an app where they crushed fake candy, and that was cool. Now people are playing an app where they walk around, go to new places, see new things, and even meet new people, and people are saying it's ridiculous.

I know there are some people who aren't using their heads (walking into traffic, wrecking cars). IMO, that is the user's fault, not the game.

I think many fads are harmless and will burn themselves out soon.

I think it's a little sad that kids need electronics to make it "worth" going outside or to give them an activity, although I understand the value of geocaching and so on. I think the fad means that younger and younger kids will want (and get) phones, and we have a lot of posts on Mamapedia about what happens if young kids have access to the internet. As always, if it's supervised, that's one thing. But it's not in many cases.

I think it's pretty awful that certain areas are not off limits to the game though - it's pretty tragic that funeral homes, Arlington National Cemetery, the Holocaust Museum, and Auschwitz have been crawling with people looking to collect virtual critters.

I think the people walking into traffic aren't just the kids - it's the adults. So if you add in the speed and competition needed for certain games, there's a strong potential for injury and death. Parents who are vigilant like you are and telling kids not to play on the streets in traffic are on top of things, but not everyone is doing that. And no one is telling adults to wait for the light to change!

On the other hand, one player helped the police in Massachusetts yesterday by discovering a dead body in a pond. Yeah, ewwww....but at least some family is finding out what happened to their loved one. Not sure that'a a justification for the game.

It's stupid IMO. It wasn't bad enough that people were walking and texting and driving, they now they are walking, driving, texting and playing a game. Recipe for disaster. People have already been hurt by walking out into street without looking.

I've been reading about it but I don't know enough yet to have much of an opinion one way or the other.
I like collection/scavenger hunt games but I also know my attention span limits and after a few weeks I'd get bored with it.
The news has been looking to be in a hyper state over one thing or another.
I'd just as soon they go gaga over a game rather than yet another terror attack.
People are desperate for diversions - let them divert for awhile.
I'm reading a good book.

Additional:
Ok.
Some young adults have literally played themselves off a cliff in California - ignoring warnings and fencing.
Some teens - old enough to drive a car - in Florida got shot at - and didn't notice - luckily they only got a flat tire from this.
Some 20 something barista in New Zealand quit his job so he could travel and play this game full time.
I've heard that kids have already hacked the game by tying phones to ceiling fans to keep motion going to 'grow' their pets.
People have been lured into remote places where they were robbed.
Pentagon, Holocaust Museum, Arlington National Cemetery have had to warn people to knock it off.
The game itself - the idea - is pretty cool - but it's data intensive, wears down your cell phone battery, and I'm not liking the accessing of personal data 'feature' to personalize the game.
I think maybe someone over estimated how common common sense actually is - fewer people seem to have any than were previously thought.
When you're just 'playing a game' things seem so harmless but this 'augmented reality' has people playing IN TRAFFIC - it's kind of the definition of stupidity.
It's not the games fault.
There just seems to be no shortage of idiots.

Not my thing, but then again, if I didn't have a child I likely would still only have a landline and not my crappy 8 year old flip phone. After 20 years of child caregiving, I'd love to exorcise the word Pokemon from my brain. ;)

I have an old school version of this I play with my 9 year old, we call it Scavenger Hunt. Requires pen-and-paper technology, 1.0. And sometimes, ice cream!

I like the bio app idea, too. We are the Bird and Bug type of folks, Kiddo and I, and love seeing new critters and identifying them. There are a few other kids on the block who don't have smartphones, so they do that old-fashioned biking and running and having fun thing that they do so well.

I have said no to it. After I found out that the game/application gets your contacts and your GPS must be on at all times. No.

Tracks your movements and where you are. Reviews things on your phone to make your 'adventure' more fun. No thanks.

One of my kids has been playing it with his friend. They seem to love it. We just made sure they watch where they are going if heading off to the park etc.

Like all things: moderation. Playing it during free time (not when they should be doing homework), during safe times (not in the middle of the street, or mindlessly wandering around potentially dangerous places), being mindful of data usage and overages, and being respectful of locations (funerals, memorial parks, places of worship, etc), sounds ok. Unfortunately not all kids will observe those boundaries.

I do think that data overages are going to be what will cause parents to pull the plug on it.

I love it. I don't play it, and my younger kids don't have phones (ages 10 & 12) but I might install it for them on my phone so that they can use it under supervision. I was out walking my dog really late one night this week (around midnight) and a group of older teens was out walking around playing. They were so cute! I would much rather see older kids doing that than being up to no good. I've noticed a lot more people outside as I drive home from the train station at night, and there are a few obscure monuments along the way that must have characters because all of a sudden, I see groups of people at them as I pass by. I work in a financial district and it's funny to see adults in suits playing as they walk around the area getting lunch and coffee. I think it's really cool and a neat way to get people away from playing games alone at computers and TVs and outside with groups of people instead. Of course people have to be cautious and there should be a way for locations to opt out of being included but I think that the good far outweighs the bad.

My kids are 17 and 20 and they're having a ball. They're out of the house and meeting up with friends. Who would have thought? My only concern is that many of the teens are so wrapped up in the game they don't see where they're going. I was bicycling the other day and could tell the kids were PokemonGo-ing so I shouted out and was able to avoid hitting them - but had I not been paying attention it could have been a catastrophe.
I think this game, like angry birds, will be a huge splash this year - we'll look back at the Summer of '16 as the PokemonGo Summer - and kids will continue to play it for years - but not with as much enthusiasm as this year. I love it - I think any kind of phenomena that sweeps over an entire country - and possibly the world is so cool. Whoever sat in a conference room and pitched this idea is a genius. I hope he or she is getting a really nice bonus...
Meanwhile, the police in our small town are overwhelmed at night trying to figure out what to do with all these kids in the park at 11pm (older teens and 20-somethings). They are spending way more time than expected chasing them out and closing the park. crazy!

Well, it was 118 here again yesterday so my kids are not running around playing it although my daughter caught a couple while sitting on the couch. lol They did take their bikes out later one night, it was like 8:30 but I was not thrilled with that and because it was still hot out, they lasted only about 15 minutes.

I see the appeal for the exercise which I'm all for. I would hope people would not do it while driving and would pay attention to their surroundings. I have a feeling some injuries will likely occur though.

I would love to tell you exactly what I think but there are so many people trying to get accounts my son can not even get one for us to check it out. If he ever gets an account I will let you know what we think.

Added: so we finally got the account, he got that little yellow electric guy and was super excited, he was actually running around outside rather then whining about want to play COD, so I would consider that a win as far as video game apps go :)

It's not my thing, but if it floats your boat, then have at it and have fun with it.

It's fine to freak out and dress like your fave sports team, etc., but like something outside that bubble and it's weird. Irritating. I like your bio idea - you need to hook up with an app creating geek.

The only ones that are not smart are the ones playing on the streets, or while driving, and in cemeteries and museums. That's not cool.

I think yeti would be fine if used properly and people used common sense and respect. Around here its horrible. People have been trespassing on private property in the middle of the night, causing police to e called, they have taken over local small business' and literally trashed them, they have caused a few car crashes when they've wandered blindly into the street--you get my drift.

I don't have any issue with a game like this when used properly and with adult supervision, but when it gets into the realm of causing harm, then that's a bit much for my liking.

Just my opinion.

Any game that brings people together and promotes positivity is a good game. The media and some people complain about everything new. I say, ignore it and enjoy.

My two boys are playing it with my brothers (who are late twenties). They have made dates to go out and catch them. I think it's great. It gets them out of the house, it gets them moving, it lets them bond with their uncles, and it's a GAME.

I think that as long as people don't forget that they are still in the real world and do something stupid like play while driving, it is harmless fun, and may even be good for folks. My kids, who don't have phones, have been out playing with their friends who do. They have spent whole afternoons walking, biking, and scootering around the city with their friends. They are getting fresh air, exercise, and loads of fun interactions with their peers. A good friend of mine, who is young enough to have been a child when the first wave of Pokemon hit the U.S., has had a blast playing it with her husband and kids.

I hadn't heard of this new activity until Thursday evening. I came out of work around 8:30pm. A usually deserted area with a little traffic. There were people everywhere, interacting with each other, spending time with kids, laughing, walking for goodness sake!, doing things and learning a few things at the same time.

Although it's not something I plan on doing I do think it's completely great for those who are doing it.

Let's pretend it's not named Pokemon. Let's say it's named "Learn about history" or "Learn about math" and everyone was out walking around looking for clues and doing the same exact thing. Everyone that is a Pokemon snob wouldn't be running off to do it.

I just think it being called "Pokemon" is what's giving it a bad name. But what do "I" know, I'm not out there doing it.