Rant Wednesday: The Two Sides of Pokemon Go

While driving today I saw a sign on the freeway that said Pokemon Go is a No-Go While Driving.

This is a great way to get people's attention, which is a part of what I want to discuss regarding the two sides of the game.

First, I downloaded the game when I heard about it and I think it is a fun game. The awesome part of it is there are people out walking and getting miles of exercise in that may have never happened.

Parents are outside with kids again and couples are out for walks. It is also fun for those who grew up watching Pokemon and are now reliving those great memories.

It is a very creative game and I have never seen anything like it that encourages exercise. A friend even told me about how people gathering at the park has caused people who have never met to get to know one another and there is a sense of community around this common interest.

Those are the great things. The other side of this game is all of the things I am hearing where gamers are standing in someone's lawn, hopping fences to go into someone's backyard, knocking on someone's door and asking them to come inside, and trying to catch Pokemon while driving.

Needless to say, these things are disturbing and are the extreme side. Not everyone that is playing the game is being irresponsible. Like everything else, there are extreme gamers who will do irresponsible things to catch the Pokemon they want to catch.

My last comment on this is that I have seen a lot of social media postings from others who are very judgmental of the fact that someone would play Pokemon Go. My thought on this is look at both sides of it and understand it is promoting health for those who play responsibly. My second thought on this is it is easy to judge when someone's habit is different than your habit.

Thoughts on this? Sound off in the comments.