Pokemon GO

[exstream]

For balance...

In my household my wife and I have a constant battle to get my 7 yr old away from various screens and technologies. Today we walked a couple of miles around my home, talked to about 50 different people ( including the often maligned 'teens') who were all really patient and showed him how to do things on the phone. We visited a local library, two charity shops and a local environmental spot (the rock gardens). Whilst he was observing the pokemon on the phone, he saw a couple of frogs hopping towards the local lake and he trotted after them with a joyous look on his face at the natural beauty of the sight.

So what if he was playing a game whilst he was doing this; we got much more fresh air,exercise and world experience than I usually get out of him with a football/rugby ball/cricket bat etc. I'm looking forward to picking him up from school tomorrow and going to the beach with him to find some water pokemon.

Me and the lad walked 4km today in the beautiful sunshine down Blackpool Promenade while he looked for 'water pokemon'. I got chatting with a few other Dad's who were up to the same as me and Zachary made a new friend as they exchanged information about the location of various pokemon. What a fantastic game, I'm having so much fun with my Son, getting loads of exercise together and we're both meeting new people.

'But it's a video game, how immature, you should be climbing the Alps'

[david3103]

For balance...

In my household my wife and I have a constant battle to get my 7 yr old away from various screens and technologies. Today we walked a couple of miles around my home, talked to about 50 different people ( including the often maligned 'teens') who were all really patient and showed him how to do things on the phone. We visited a local library, two charity shops and a local environmental spot (the rock gardens). Whilst he was observing the pokemon on the phone, he saw a couple of frogs hopping towards the local lake and he trotted after them with a joyous look on his face at the natural beauty of the sight.

So what if he was playing a game whilst he was doing this; we got much more fresh air,exercise and world experience than I usually get out of him with a football/rugby ball/cricket bat etc. I'm looking forward to picking him up from school tomorrow and going to the beach with him to find some water pokemon.

Me and the lad walked 4km today in the beautiful sunshine down Blackpool Promenade while he looked for 'water pokemon'. I got chatting with a few other Dad's who were up to the same as me and Zachary made a new friend as they exchanged information about the location of various pokemon. What a fantastic game, I'm having so much fun with my Son, getting loads of exercise together and we're both meeting new people.

You are winning me over with your, very child-centred, use of the game. Glad it has prompted you to spend time with him.
Still nowhere near to revising my opinion of it's suitability for anyone old enough to vote.

[Cf]

You're allowed to say water Pokemon without putting it in quotes

[HutchGF]

For balance...

In my household my wife and I have a constant battle to get my 7 yr old away from various screens and technologies. Today we walked a couple of miles around my home, talked to about 50 different people ( including the often maligned 'teens') who were all really patient and showed him how to do things on the phone. We visited a local library, two charity shops and a local environmental spot (the rock gardens). Whilst he was observing the pokemon on the phone, he saw a couple of frogs hopping towards the local lake and he trotted after them with a joyous look on his face at the natural beauty of the sight.

So what if he was playing a game whilst he was doing this; we got much more fresh air,exercise and world experience than I usually get out of him with a football/rugby ball/cricket bat etc. I'm looking forward to picking him up from school tomorrow and going to the beach with him to find some water pokemon.

Me and the lad walked 4km today in the beautiful sunshine down Blackpool Promenade while he looked for 'water pokemon'. I got chatting with a few other Dad's who were up to the same as me and Zachary made a new friend as they exchanged information about the location of various pokemon. What a fantastic game, I'm having so much fun with my Son, getting loads of exercise together and we're both meeting new people.

You are winning me over with your, very child-centred, use of the game. Glad it has prompted you to spend time with him.
Still nowhere near to revising my opinion of it's suitability for anyone old enough to vote.

You know us teachers David; school holidays are all about spending time with the boys. I'm just happy that time is being spent outdoors exploring the world and having fun rather than me trying desperately to engage him with anything else rather than the Nintendo Wii U!

[Longines]

Click to see full-size image.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/07/19/pokemon-go-masters-are-selling-their-accounts-for-thousands-on-e/

[Doobs]

Right, have succumbed and downloaded it.  Caught two already and the kids are begging me to take them to the park immediately. 

Don't know if there is much to the game, but the kids seem very excited.

[Woodsey]

 

[DropTheHammer]

Personally, I stopped playing video games after uni (a chipped Xbox was my last console) only due to a lack of spare time. Some of my mates (mid-30s) still play them and I don't think any less of them - good luck to them. Anyone who has a pastime that doesn't hurt anyone or become too addictive what's the problem?

I really hope that this new pokemon game stays around for decades so I can play it with my kids (if I ever have any), alongside the standard in-house computer games. Kids have become more and more house-based in their leisure activities and that's a real shame.

[RED-DOG]

I was waiting for someone outside Derby Cathedral yesterday when I saw a group of teenagers doing stuff with their phones. I asked them if they were playing Pokemon Go and they said that they were and they all gathered around to show me their screens and explain how it worked. Then they invited me to download it and join in, (apparently they were split into a red team and a blue team) I thanked them and declined, citing a prior engagement, but for some reason, the whole episode made me feel really happy.

[Ironside]

I got into pokemon go recently when trying to find something to do with my nephew on his holiday (Scottish kids went back last week)
the 4th week he was over we downloaded it and started playing big draw it's FREE yeah you can buy stuff but anything you can buy you can get for free
by going to landmarks and public buildings. By going to these places with your kids it becomes educational and even if they are older and able to go round on there own
they are going to hopefully find out more about these places.
instead of spending fortunes going bowling cinema etc or sitting in house playing computer games not actually talking to each other about anything meaningful we went out in the car looking for pokestops
talking to seriously getting to know each other better, weather up here was pretty poor so we did spend alot of time in a car park close to 2 pokestops putting on lures talking in the car while waiting to collect from the stops and
for pokemon to appear, my friends kids even joined us on the last day and the boys all hit it off instantly talking a new language to me.
when the rain stayed off we even went for a walk (well he pushed my chair) to hatch some eggs.
now for a while now i have been becoming a hermit, not sleeping well meaning i havent been comfortable driving any distance so stopped traveling for nights out the 100 mile round trip to my nighclub of choice, and since quitting smoking 3 years ago not enjoying going to the pub. But even since my nephew has gone home i have found myself getting out and about again jumping in the car to travel to the next village where they are stops and gyms, and have now gone out in my chair in the late evening and the early hours when there is no traffic in my chair going round the estate i live in something i havent done in years. with me not going out i have been getting unfit and losing muscle strength in my arms with not using them as much but just trying to hatch eggs i have been doing about 2k a night recently where i was lucky if i traveled 200 meters a day sat in my house and now my only problem is i need to slow down a little for the gps to register the distances without the app telling me i am going to fast and asking if i am a passenger. hard to click that button while my hands are being used to push my chair

[Ironside]

ps if you have kids remember its free, and alot of kids prefer it to paid attractions which the cost soon mount up

[RED-DOG]

I got into pokemon go recently when trying to find something to do with my nephew on his holiday (Scottish kids went back last week)
the 4th week he was over we downloaded it and started playing big draw it's FREE yeah you can buy stuff but anything you can buy you can get for free
by going to landmarks and public buildings. By going to these places with your kids it becomes educational and even if they are older and able to go round on there own
they are going to hopefully find out more about these places.
instead of spending fortunes going bowling cinema etc or sitting in house playing computer games not actually talking to each other about anything meaningful we went out in the car looking for pokestops
talking to seriously getting to know each other better, weather up here was pretty poor so we did spend alot of time in a car park close to 2 pokestops putting on lures talking in the car while waiting to collect from the stops and
for pokemon to appear, my friends kids even joined us on the last day and the boys all hit it off instantly talking a new language to me.
when the rain stayed off we even went for a walk (well he pushed my chair) to hatch some eggs.
now for a while now i have been becoming a hermit, not sleeping well meaning i havent been comfortable driving any distance so stopped traveling for nights out the 100 mile round trip to my nighclub of choice, and since quitting smoking 3 years ago not enjoying going to the pub. But even since my nephew has gone home i have found myself getting out and about again jumping in the car to travel to the next village where they are stops and gyms, and have now gone out in my chair in the late evening and the early hours when there is no traffic in my chair going round the estate i live in something i havent done in years. with me not going out i have been getting unfit and losing muscle strength in my arms with not using them as much but just trying to hatch eggs i have been doing about 2k a night recently where i was lucky if i traveled 200 meters a day sat in my house and now my only problem is i need to slow down a little for the gps to register the distances without the app telling me i am going to fast and asking if i am a passenger. hard to click that button while my hands are being used to push my chair

Great post Iron. I love to see positive stuff.

[tikay]

That's wonderful to read, Iron, well done you.

[The_nun]

Great to hear. It certainly is getting folk more active Reece loves it abd Darren they go all over.

[Ironside]

caught this guy last night