Full disclosure: I do not play Pokémon Go. I was more of Digimon fan as a kid and so the nostalgia isn't there for me. I've entertained the idea of playing it with my little monster, but my phone works like poop.
So why do I care what people think about it? A lot of REALLY IMPORTANT reasons actually. For one, I'm a geek. I have been since I was little. I watch anime, play video games, read/watch/write sci-fi and fantasy, go to cons, etc. I know what it's like to be interested in things the majority of the world doesn't understand. I know what it's like to avoid talking about the things you love at work or when meeting new people because they might think you're weird or immature. That you're somehow wrong or lesser. Just because it's not my hobby doesn't mean it's not my responsibility to speak up.
Also, it seems to be my generation (and a bit younger) taking the heat here. The adults and young adults that you call immature and deride as "useless" and "having no life skills" -- traipsing around the park chasing cartoon creatures instead of getting a job -- are my friends.
And here's my opinion: BULLSHIT.
I have A LOT of friends and acquaintances in various social circles spanning across many walks of life that play Pokémon Go. Let me tell you something about them: they are hard-working, responsible adults. At least THREE of them are successful ENTREPRENEURS. Most of the rest are currently enrolled in, or have graduated from, POST-GRADUATE STUDIES. Many are married with homes of their own. And honestly, none of this should surprise you because:
POKÉMON GO IS A HOBBY
As long as a person isn't hurting anyone, why should we judge how people unwind and enjoy themselves?
(Quick note here: yes, there have been instances where people have been hurt, or have hurt others, while playing Pokémon Go. These incidents have had a lot of news coverage but are, in reality, a minority. People will play Go and drive just like they text and drive. It is not inherent to the population playing. As for swarms of Go players walking into the middle of the street, it is no different than the riots and property damage that can occur after sports games. It is dangerous, but it is rare and a result of a bunch of individuals getting caught up in a groupthink scenario. It's important to talk about how to limit these events and examine what caused them, but it should not be used to judge the population as a whole - something true of ANY community.)
These are adults and teenagers enjoying themselves in their free time. I'm not sure where this bizarre idea that people who play games do so INSTEAD OF having a job or responsibilities came from but it is absurd and needs to stop. Do you literally work 100% of the time? What do you do with your free time? Do you really believe it is more "legitimate" or "respectable" than what they do?
Actually... let's talk about that. The reality is that ANY hobby described from a limited and biased perspective can make you sound like an asshole. Here, watch:
Watching Sports
(-) Shouting while sitting on a couch (or uncomfortable folding chair) watching other people perform physical activities.
(+) Watching and encouraging community representatives participate in a competitive and skill-based activity.
Fishing
(-) Sitting for hours doing nothing and taking pleasure in driving a hook through a hungry animal's mouth.
(+) Venturing out doors to relax and get in touch with nature.
Watching Game of Thrones
(-) Watching people graphically murder and rape each other for an hour. With dragons.
(+) Engaging in a deeply political and emotional plot with a large cast of complex human characters. With dragons.
Writing
(-) Making up pretend stories and retreating from social activities for hours to find the right words to make them sound as "not cheesy" as possible.
(+) Exercising your mind and creating stories that can make people feel connected and break down complex ideas and social norms.
Social Drinking
(-) Putting potentially lethal substances into your body so that you don't feel bad when you say/do stupid things.
(+) Drinking tasty beverages to disperse personal insecurities which may otherwise prevent you from participating fully in fun social activities.
Pokémon Go
(-) Chasing imaginary creatures around in a game marketed for children.
(+) Exploring your community while participating in friendly cooperative and competitive game play.
See?
Now, certainly not all hobbies are well-suited to all individuals and many of us will find ourselves agreeing more with the positive or negative perspective of each activity. I spend almost all of my spare time writing, while others would see that as boring or a waste of time. I personally don't understand the enjoyment that comes from watching sports but I don't think that anything is wrong with the people who do.
But I think that is what this issue boils down to, like so many other things:
Fear and Anger About Things We Don't Understand
It's impossible to deny that this trend is tied to a generalized disappointment and derision of the younger generation (very often millennials). And this is not unique to our generation. Oddly enough, society -- its structure, laws and, yes, past times -- is always transforming and adapting and with these changes comes reluctance. Fear. Because it is terrifying to watch the world around you change into something you no longer relate to or understand. It's hard not to feel like something that belongs to you is being taken away. Vandalized. That you will be forgotten and neglected.
It's not unlikely that your parents or grandparents felt this way about your generation. That they shamed you for something you enjoyed. Maybe video games. Or television. Rock and roll. Comics. Technology. They didn't understand, and so they judged. And what did it accomplish aside from creating a divide between you? Aside from ostracizing themselves from a world they refused to accept?
When you put down something someone enjoys, you are judging an entire community on some contrived binary of "respectable" or not. A binary you built in a world that, frankly, doesn't look the way it does today. The way it will in two years. Ten.
I can't help but think of the words of Cecil Palmer in the podcast Welcome to Night Vale. Words which I'm using here to illuminate the ridicule of an entire generation's recreational activities, but I have used before in much graver terms. And I hope you can see by now, how frighteningly related this kind of judgement is to many more insidious ones. I hope you can find a way to be more empathetic and accepting.
"When confronted with someone whose “normal” is not our “normal,” we are forced to confront the most frightening prospect of all: that there is no such thing as “normal.” Just the accidental cultural moment we happened to be born into, a cultural happenstance that never existed before, and will never exist again.
Our idea of “normal” is a city built on sand. For instance, for us, our city is literally built on sand and this is our “normal.” We resist difference because it requires we acknowledge that the culture we grew up with as “normal” is just a momentary accident. It requires we accept that the world we were born into will never be the same as the world we die in. The longer we live, the more we become interlopers, even in our home towns. But, if we’d let it happen, also, the more we will learn."
- Welcome to Night Vale, Episode 83
