{"id":73506,"date":"2025-08-16T06:38:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T06:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/73506\/"},"modified":"2025-08-16T06:38:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T06:38:08","slug":"pokemon-go-pros-cons-debate-arguments-good-for-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/73506\/","title":{"rendered":"Pokemon GO | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, & Good for Society"},"content":{"rendered":"

It began as an April Fool\u2019s<\/a> joke. Google<\/a> is notorious for these annual pranks, and on April Fool\u2019s Day 2014 it released a high-energy video advertising a job opening for Pok\u00e9mon Master. The video featured an Indiana Jones<\/a>-type explorer traversing the world, scaling mountains and riding camels through deserts, in search of wild Pok\u00e9mon<\/a>, the cartoon monsters and cuddly creatures from the hit role-playing game of the same name<\/a> that launched in Japan in 1996. Applicants who catch all 150 Pok\u00e9mon, using Google Maps of course, would be invited to Google headquarters for the final round of hiring. Inspired by the prank, John Hanke, chief executive\u00a0of game-developer Niantic Labs, asked his colleagues if Google\u2019s fake game \u201ccould be done in the real world.\u201d It could, and the rest is history. [39]<\/a><\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon GOA demonstration of how the game Pokemon GO works.(more)<\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon GO<\/a>\u2014the mobile app<\/a> game<\/a>, part of the\u00a0massive Pok\u00e9mon<\/a>\u00a0media franchise\u2014revolutionized gaming based on augmented reality<\/a> (AR), a technology that enhances (augments) our vision of the world by overlaying computer-generated images and content on the scene when viewed through special devices such as smartphones<\/a>, tablets, smart glasses, and headsets. The game was downloaded more than 500 million times during its inaugural year of 2016, becoming the most popular mobile game in history\u2014Pikachu, the yellow mouselike creature with rabbit ears, became the face of the Pok\u00e9mon franchise and famous the world over. Within a month of the game\u2019s release, it had earned five\u00a0Guinness World Records<\/a>, including most revenue and downloads generated by a mobile game in its first month. The market value of Nintendo, the company that created the game, grew by $9 billion within five days of the game\u2019s release. The game has been downloaded more than a billion times, demonstrating astounding worldwide reach and impact.[1]<\/a>[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon<\/a>A cover of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time (2008), a strategy guide for the Nintendo DS game, featuring some of the various Pok\u00e9mon.(more)<\/p>\n

The basic premise of the game is for players to capture\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon in a kind of scavenger hunt that uses the GPS<\/a> on their mobile phones<\/a> while they explore their surroundings and walk around in the real world; the app brought the experience of indoor gaming to the outdoors. After the game\u2019s release in the United States on July 6, 2016, a 28-year-old man in Brooklyn<\/a> played the game obsessively and collected all 142 Pok\u00e9mon then available, becoming the first person to do so; the feat took him two weeks and \u201csleepless nights and full days spent on \u2018Pok\u00e9 walks\u2019\u201d through the streets and parks of New York City. In 2022, another gamer accomplished the feat of collecting all Pok\u00e9mon available from all Pok\u00e9mon games (not just Pok\u00e9mon GO), which included 905 Pok\u00e9mon and every gender and regional variant for a total of 1,244 creatures; the feat took the gamer more than a decade to complete. \u201cGotta catch \u2019em all\u201d is the slogan of the Pok\u00e9mon game franchise.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

Although Pok\u00e9mon GO generates few headlines today, it still attracts a massive global audience, including more than 50 million users in July 2025 alone. The game was especially popular during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> lockdowns of 2020, earning some $445.3 million via micro-transactions within the game for the first six months of that year. And the game continues to evolve, with the release of new creatures and events, including the annual \u201cFestival of Lights,\u201d featuring glowing Pok\u00e9mon and special challenges.[18]<\/a>[33]<\/a>[34]<\/a>[35]<\/a>[40]<\/a><\/p>\n

But along with the game have come concerns and even risks, spawning such questions: Is playing Pok\u00e9mon GO harmful or helpful? Has the game been good for society? Explore the debate below.<\/p>\n

Pro 1: There are mental and physical health benefits from playing the game. <\/p>\n

Walking around is necessary to play the game, and users are getting physical health benefits from the exercise. [4]<\/a><\/p>\n

The 63-year-old Robin Tarry told the BBC that the game has encouraged he and his wife to walk about 30 miles a week, helping him lose about 42 pounds and manage his diabetes.\u00a0[19]<\/a><\/p>\n

One user told\u00a0BuzzFeed, \u201cI have struggled with motivation and energy since I was 9, when I developed severe depression\u2026.But as soon as I got\u00a0Pokemon Go\u00a0I was able to leave the house, and I walked outside for hours and suddenly found myself enjoying it. I had the instant rush of dopamine whenever I caught a Pok\u00e9mon, and I wanted to keep going. Then today and yesterday I purposely put myself in social situations, going to the mall, just to play.\u201d [5]<\/a><\/p>\n

Pro 2: The game has brought people together, creating a sense of community. <\/p>\n

By exploring their neighborhoods and cities and sharing information about where to find Pok\u00e9mon, players are interacting with others, creating a beneficial sense of community.<\/p>\n

One player tweeted about a late-night experience during which he befriended two other players of a different race and age group. While they were talking, they were approached by a police officer. After they explained the game to him, the officer also started playing.\u00a0[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201c[O]verall, this is a positive moment, a moment of real community and good feelings all thanks to a mobile game and some adorable Pok\u00e9mon,\u201d writes\u00a0Forbes\u00a0contributor Erik Kain. [7]<\/a><\/p>\n

During the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic lockdowns, Niantic (the parent company of \u00a0Pok\u00e9mon GO) enhanced the game\u2019s virtual social features so players could more easily connect in-game when they couldn\u2019t as easily explore their physical communities. A bonus to these adjustments is that they allow for easier play for people with disabilities, expanding the gaming community.\u00a0[20]<\/a>[21]<\/a><\/p>\n

Pro 3: The game has been a boon to local businesses. <\/p>\n

As people explore their towns while playing the app, they are discovering new shops, restaurants, and more. This increase in foot traffic is a boon to businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith\u00a0Pokemon Go, businesses have an unprecedented opportunity to create strong emotional bonds with new customers, and for very little money,\u201d says business expert Walter Chen. Some stores around the country have reported an increase in sales between 5 and 30 percent.\u00a0[8]<\/a>[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

When local businesses began to close during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Niantic launched the Local Business Recovery Initiative on June 15, 2020. Players nominated their favorite local small businesses to have a storefront integrated into the\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon GO\u00a0app for a year for free.\u00a0[22]<\/a><\/p>\n

Con 1: Playing the game has led to injuries, even deaths. <\/p>\n

According to news reports, users have tripped, fallen into a lake, crashed a car, fallen on railroad tracks resulting in an amputated leg, and sustained other injuries while playing the game. [10]<\/a>[11]<\/a>[23]<\/a>[24]<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Safety Council released a statement urging people to be more cautious while playing Pok\u00e9mon GO, saying in part, \u201cReports of close calls associated with playing\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon Go\u00a0already are rolling in. The Council urges gamers to consider safety over their scores before a life is lost. No race to \u2018capture\u2019 a cartoon monster is worth a life.\u201d\u00a0[12]<\/a><\/p>\n

Head and neck injuries due to distracted drivers spiked after the launch of\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon GO. Distracted users are also inflicting injury on others. A driver playing\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon GO\u00a0struck and killed an 85-year-old woman in Japan. [25]<\/a>[26]<\/a><\/p>\n

Con 2: The app encourages unhealthy impulses and gaming in inappropriate places. <\/p>\n

As Encyclopaedia Britannica reports, \u201csome adults protested the\u00a0implicit\u00a0message [in the game] that it was all right for humans to capture and enslave\u00a0sentient\u00a0beings (the Pok\u00e9mon had\u00a0free will\u00a0and\u00a0rudimentary\u00a0language), and others thought that the fantastic nature of the creatures promoted\u00a0occult\u00a0beliefs and practices.\u201d To some parents, the characters are anti-Christian pagan idols.[38]<\/a><\/p>\n

Moreover, in their quest to capture creatures, players have failed to respect their surroundings, spawning countless articles, such as Evan Dashevsky\u2019s compilation, \u201c18 Completely Inappropriate Places to Play\u00a0Pokemon Go,\u201d for\u00a0PCMag. For example, players have captured Pok\u00e9mon in the emergency room, birthing rooms, the Auschwitz<\/a> Nazi death camp, funerals, and on an active battlefield near Mosul<\/a>, among others.\u00a0Some players of the game even cheer out loud, in these solemn settings, upon capturing a Pok\u00e9mon. [27]<\/a><\/p>\n

Arlington National Cemetery<\/a> released a statement saying, \u201cOut of respect for all those interred at Arlington National Cemetery, we require the highest level of decorum from our guests and visitors. Playing games such as \u2018Pok\u00e9mon Go\u2019 on these hallowed grounds would not be deemed appropriate.\u201d\u00a0[13]<\/a><\/p>\n

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum<\/a> also asked visitors to stop catching Pok\u00e9mon on-site. [14]<\/a><\/p>\n

The 9\/11<\/a> Memorial in New York City issued a similar warning. \u201cA lot of people died here. It\u2019s a place to reflect, not to play a game,\u201d a visitor told\u00a0TIME\u00a0magazine. [15]<\/a><\/p>\n

Con 3: The app spurs gaming disorders, privacy concerns, and criminal activity. <\/p>\n

Hit games like Pok\u00e9mon GO contribute to digital addiction and gaming disorder. Gaming disorder is defined by the World Health Organization as \u201ca pattern of gaming behavior . . . characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences,\u201d leading to \u201csignificant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning.\u201d According to one study, up to 9% of players of the game fit the criteria for the disorder. [36]<\/a><\/p>\n

There are also many privacy concerns with geolocation technology. As AI engineer Jesus Olivera has warned, \u201cWhile the benefits of geolocation technology for both consumers and businesses are clear, they come with significant risks, particularly regarding the collection and storage of geolocation data.\u201d Many of these companies that \u201ctrack geolocation data and provide services around it operate discreetly in the background, potentially capturing data without the individual\u2019s knowledge or consent.\u201d [37]<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Distracted players of Pok\u00e9mon GO on \u201cPok\u00e9 walks\u201d have also been victims of assorted crimes, including beatings, robberies, stabbings, and shootings.\u00a0Players have also been victimized by accidentally stumbling upon and witnessing crimes in progress. [23]<\/a>[28]<\/a>[29]<\/a>[30]<\/a>[31]<\/a>[32]<\/a><\/p>\n

Four teens in Missouri were arrested on suspicion of committing at least ten armed robberies by using the app to lure users to a specific location. A police department in Philadelphia warned on Twitter (X), \u201cBe mindful on what you play online. [There\u2019s been] a string of armed robberies perpetrated by suspects who targeted their victims using\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon Go.\u201d [16]<\/a>[17]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It began as an April Fool\u2019s joke. Google is notorious for these annual pranks, and on April Fool\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73507,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[1331,45450,49,48,45449,45448,6930,61,260,261,262],"class_list":{"0":"post-73506","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-virtual-reality","8":"tag-article","9":"tag-britannica","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-encyclopeadia","13":"tag-encyclopedia","14":"tag-pokemon-go","15":"tag-technology","16":"tag-virtual-reality","17":"tag-virtualreality","18":"tag-vr"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}