Do Not Pass Pokémon Go, Do Not Collect $200

First, I'm gonna be honest and say that I don't play Pokémon Go. I'm not trying to avoid being judged for playing it, I simply don't play it because I don't have a smartphone. If I had a smartphone (and a good data plan), I would most likely play it. For a month or two. Til I got distracted (squirrel!).
That has nothing to do with the game, but more with my short attention span. I did, however, want to point out that I have no emotional connection to Pokémon Go, and I am not simply writing this to justify playing it.

But there are so many people who are whining and complaining about Pokémon Go...They post things like the photo to the right, and get incredibly judgy about the whole thing. I was going to sat about the whole "issue", but really, a game on your phone should not be an issue...it is getting ridiculous.

See, the thing is, this game encourages people to get up and go outside and interact with other people. I know people who have social issues and struggle to interact with others, but Pokemon Go gives them a topic of conversation. My sister and her fiance have wandered around their neighbourhood a lot more, taking their dogs for walks, and chatting instead of sitting on the couch watching a movie in the evening.

 Does catching Pokemon do anything positive? No, not really in itself. But does the game get people off their butts and outside hanging out with others? Yes. Some businesses are even offering discounts or free stuff to customers play PG because the game is bringing so much more business to them. I think it's ridiculous that people are so up in arms about this game, when there are games like candy crush and whatnot, where people are literally sitting on their butts, making electronic pieces of candy disappear, or shooting birds at pigs.

And honestly, if you enjoy doing those games, that's fine. Though you should be careful, like with anything, to not do them to the point that you aren't doing anything else. But this doesn't only pertain to phone games. My whole life, I've often gotten in trouble for reading too much. Sometimes it has been actually getting in trouble, because my Mom thinks I should be doing something else, and sometimes it is because I have a tough time waking in the morning because I was reading a book and didn't go to sleep when I should have.
There are times that you shouldn't play Pokémon Go. Is your friend or significant other upset about something? Do they need you to be fully present to talk to them? Put your phone away. Unless you're expecting a true emergency call, be respectful and show how much you care. Are you in church, or at a lecture where you should be paying attention and showing respect to the speaker? Put your phone away. Are you at the theatre, whether for a movie, or a play? You can catch Pokémon before the show, during the intermission, or at the end. Otherwise, respect your fellow audience members and put the phone away.
Do you see a theme here? Be respectful. Whether you are catching Pokémon, throwing birds, sending texts, or anything else, be respectful. And that includes those of you who hate Pokémon Go. I would much rather hang out with someone who is using their phone to catch pretend little monsters than with people who judge people they don't know, saying that they're stupid or whatever, just because the game isn't something that floats their boat. If you don't like games like that, don't play them. It's pretty easy. Chances are good that you do plenty of things that other people would call stupid, and I would bet that you would be hurt if people went around calling you stupid because of a tv show you like, or a hobby you have. Just a thought. There are so many real issues dividing us, I don't think we need to work on more ways that we are all different.

I saw this posted shortly after Pokémon Go came out, and I kind of love it,
because it is so perfect if you've ever ridden a horse :~P