The launch of Pokemon GO has not been without its problems. There have been bugs and initial security issues and various upsets- but we shouldn’t let those things take away from what a positive effect Pokemon GO has had on many people. This app is making people happier, more active, more educated and even helping with catching scoundrels. We can only hope this sort of coolness will continue.
So let’s take a look at some of the positive things Pokemon GO has done for people and see why this app brings such joy. Do you have any stories about the way Pokemon GO has impacted your life or the life of people around you? Be sure to share it with us in comments!
Pokemon Go helps people learn about local lore
Mike Fahey wrote an article on Kotaku about his experience playing the Pokemon GO beta and in it, he revealed that Pokemon GO had helped him learn a lot about this history of his town. While searching for Pokemon, he found himself going to places he’d never been before and reading the plaques around town giving information on the Cherokee tribe that used to inhabit it. He also found a cool statue. Who says video games aren’t educational?
He’s not the only one either. A reporter for Forbes Magazine said that a man she met, Mark Smith, was also getting to know “history and little landmarks” he didn’t know about before. The system Pokemon GO gets it’s location from, Ingress, tended to select landmarks with high cultural, educational and historical value, so the Pokemon GO stops follow that trend.
Pokemon Go brings people together
Pokemon GO is bringing people together who never would have met otherwise. Reddit user LostCause_TV talked about how after a lure was dropped at a Pokestop, 20 people showed up and began to bond. “It was such a cool experience. I met a bunch of yellow team members, we exchanged numbers and we’re all gonna get together tomorrow”, the Reddit user said. They went on to add. “As a shy, introverted person, it’s amazing that this app can bring together people. I’m very excited for the future of this app for this exact reason.”
The New York Post notes these crowds can be pretty diverse too, reaching across race, gender and age lines. Pokemon Go is bringing together friends and business partners, helping strangers connect and giving people a community experience.
The contentious relationships between the police and civilians is a big thing right now, but even they sometimes find common ground with the game. A policeman was prepared to bust some men, thinking they were drug dealing, but when they explained to him about the app, he ended up asking about it and downloading it. It would be nice if more encounters could end that peacefully.
Pokemon Go can be used to aid social movements
A group dedicated to supporting the transgender residents of Iowa has figured out how to use the uniting power of Pokemon Go to their advantage. One Iowa is the name of the organization and they have organized a Pokemon GO meetup at a popular Pokestop and think it will be a good way to win people over to their cause. The group wants to inact a law protecting transgender people against hate crimes and they need petition signatures to get it off the ground.
"Pokemon is something that so many people love, and this event lets us talk to people we often talk to, as well as bring in some new people to our cause,” said Erica Barz, the group’s communication specialist.
If you happen to live in Des Moines, Iowa, the meetup is Wednesday at 6 PM at Papajohn Sculpture Park.
Pokemon Go is making people exercise
Pokemon GO is also giving people lots of exercise. Let’s face it, a lot of us gamers are pretty sedentary and find ourselves missing the health benefits of exercise. But now we can play games and walk around town at the same time! Many people have been posting records of how much they’ve walked on Twitter- people have walked up to 10 or 15 miles in a single day! Buzzfeed noted that there’s a significant spike in the aggregated activity of various exercisers too. Pokemon GO can get you going.
Pokemon Go is getting people to go outside
Exercise is good, but exercise outside is even better. A lot of Americans have a vitamin D deficiany and need more sun (but remember sunscreen). Also, being outdoors is associated with better health and helping your brain work better. And you need to go outside to catch a lot of Pokemon, so Pokemon GO is doing that for people.
Pokemon Go is helping in improving people's mental health
Pokemon Go ended up being a great way to help people deal with depression and other forms of mental illness. As Twitter user @jasonjarmoosh noted “Pokemon Go is literally making people with depression and anxiety and agoraphobia leave the house and explore the world and socialize”. Many users report that using the app and having motivation to take walks and go to new places has a great impact on them. People who don’t usually leave the house are now finding themselves exposed to new environments and getting the mental benefits of exercise while doing something they genuinely enjoy.
Pokemon GO helps with taking the short breaks from work that people require
As Tara Haelle notes, Pokemon GO is actually a good way to take short breaks during your work day. Those breaks are a huge benefit to concentration and productivity, but if you take a break to check the internet or read, you can lose yourself and the short break becomes not so short. Taking breaks to catch Pokemon isn’t time consuming, as once you’ve caught a few that’s it. It also means you have to walk around a bit, which also helps get neurons firing.
Pokemon Go helped catch a cheating boyfriend
Yep, Pokemon GO is the bane of the unfaithful. I’m going to call this as a good thing because if your partner is going behind your back, you need to find out because you deserve better.
Evan Scribner went to his ex’s house to do a round of sexytimes. Afterwards, he logged into Pokemon GO. When checking out his phone, his girlfriend saw that he’d logged into the game at his girlfriend’s house. He couldn’t offer an excuse, so she dumped him. I say good for her for getting rid of a bad boyfriend, I mean, not only did he cheat on her but he told The New York Post about it? Who does that?
Pokemon Go is being used as a dating app
Pokemon Go is causing some hook-ups! One Redditor called UnityTreeofSavior encountered another Pokemon Go player while using the app around town. They hit it off and went on a date the next day, which apparently went well. Poke-love is in the air!
And not just love, but sensual pleasures. As this article notes, quite a few people have tweeted that Pokemon GO got them laid.
Pokemon Go (kind of) helped with the capture of a suspected attempted murderer
Two Marines were playing Pokemon GO at the park when their game froze up. But for once, Pokemon GO’s bugs yielded something good because this caused them to notice a man with a plastic red rose bothering children and their mothers. The first mother and her children went to call the cops and the man approached another family and began basically creeping on the young boy, touching his toes and leg.
The marines crossed the street and another man also came along and the man was cornered until the police arrived. He was arrested for alleged child annoyance, but then it was found out he was wanted on suspicion of attempted murder as well. It’s a good thing he was caught!
Pokemon Go can motivate kids to walk dogs for the animal shelter
Joseph Knoop noted on Twitter that his local animal shelter was using Pokemon GO to get kids to walk the dogs there. Their poster says “Trying to Hatch an Egg or Catch a Rare Pokemon? Come down to the Muncie Animal Shelter to walk one of our dogs while you get your steps in!” So real life animals can feel the benefits of Pokemon GO now too!
Pokemon Go can help customers get free drinks and more
Businesses are already figuring out to use Pokemon GO to their advantage and customers are also reaping the rewards. A cafe called Palm & Moon advertised their Pokestop and said customers who got a Pokemon in or outside the café could get a free drink with a bagel with cream cheese or an item of equal value. Tumblr user mermaidmonarch reported that they got a Tentacruel and a free latte. So this free app can get you free stuff and also provides businesses with a clever way to net customers.