POKEMON GO

I would say that I'm an average fan of the Pokemon franchise.  In my childhood, I would always want to rush home after Saturday school to catch it airing on TV. I had the cards, tokens, action figures, books... etc.  My parents never let me buy the game(s), so the only times I would ever play is during recess on my friend's Gameboy.

It's crazy how the app evoked such a strong unity amongst the old and new fans.  It seems to be the center of social media for weeks after its launch.  Some are praising it for making app users to get on their feet and get out of their house. Others are reporting the negatives: gamers transpassing, finding dead bodies, the forever crashing app...etc.

I'm not too sucked into the craze - and for a few reasons:

1. The app crashes way too easily and it gets frustrating over time. Although my phone meets all the requirements of the app, it's not the newest model and so the app freezes, turns black, and closes after a significant action done in the game (such as throwing a poke ball, collecting items at a poke stop).  It also often displays a warning that the GPS signal cannot be found when it does work properly.  My friends with better phones don't seem to have the same problem so it's not really the fault of the app but it stops me from playing daily.  From my cohort of friends, it seems that you need a memory of over 8GB on your phone to run the app smoothly without it shutting down on you - the make of your phone is not neccessarily the reason.
2. I don't have a data plan and don't plan on getting one any time soon.  Some players do opt to increase their data plan in order to play freely and in any location but I just choose the cheaper option - to only use WiFi to play.  
3. If you strip away the Pokemon aspect of the game, it's not all that entertaining.  I mean, I feel like humans have an innate love to collect stuff - whether it be stamps, buttons, books, cool coins or Pokemon.  The game is simply that, plus a few more options such as battling in a gym. 

All that being said, if I had a better phone and unlimited data usage, I would be collecting Pokemon left and right - especially since there's a Poke stop at work and there always seems to be a lure party going on.  Just hoping that this app doesn't distract people who's work is centered around saving lives of others - the police, doctors, firefighters...etc.

For those of you who do play - watch out for cars and don't go into private property to catch a Pokemon!  Please don't be that person preoccupied with their phone when you're out with friends or family (unless you are going Pokemon hunting with them). Be present and enjoy the time you are with them!