12 Ways Pokemon GO is Positively Impacting Lives

By Caitlin Donovan | More Articles July 18, 2016 10:41 PM

The launch of Pokemon GO has not been without its problems. There have been bugs and initial security issues and various upsets- but we shouldn’t let those things take away from what a positive effect Pokemon GO has had on many people. This app is making people happier, more active, more educated and even helping with catching scoundrels. We can only hope this sort of coolness will continue. So let’s take a look at some of the positive things Pokemon GO has done for people and see why this app brings such joy. Do you have any stories about the way Pokemon GO has impacted your life or the life of people around you? Be sure to share it with us in comments!

1 Pokemon Go helps people learn about local lore

Mike Fahey wrote an article on Kotaku about his experience playing the Pokemon GO beta and in it, he revealed that Pokemon GO had helped him learn a lot about this history of his town. While searching for Pokemon, he found himself going to places he’d never been before and reading the plaques around town giving information on the Cherokee tribe that used to inhabit it. He also found a cool statue. Who says video games aren’t educational? He’s not the only one either. A reporter for Forbes Magazine said that a man she met, Mark Smith, was also getting to know “history and little landmarks” he didn’t know about before. The system Pokemon GO gets it’s location from, Ingress, tended to select landmarks with high cultural, educational and historical value, so the Pokemon GO stops follow that trend.

2 Pokemon Go brings people together

Pokemon GO is bringing people together who never would have met otherwise. Reddit user LostCause_TV talked about how after a lure was dropped at a Pokestop, 20 people showed up and began to bond. “It was such a cool experience. I met a bunch of yellow team members, we exchanged numbers and we’re all gonna get together tomorrow”, the Reddit user said. They went on to add. “As a shy, introverted person, it’s amazing that this app can bring together people. I’m very excited for the future of this app for this exact reason.” The New York Post notes these crowds can be pretty diverse too, reaching across race, gender and age lines. Pokemon Go is bringing together friends and business partners, helping strangers connect and giving people a community experience. The contentious relationships between the police and civilians is a big thing right now, but even they sometimes find common ground with the game. A policeman was prepared to bust some men, thinking they were drug dealing, but when they explained to him about the app, he ended up asking about it and downloading it. It would be nice if more encounters could end that peacefully.

3 Pokemon Go can be used to aid social movements

A group dedicated to supporting the transgender residents of Iowa has figured out how to use the uniting power of Pokemon Go to their advantage. One Iowa is the name of the organization and they have organized a Pokemon GO meetup at a popular Pokestop and think it will be a good way to win people over to their cause. The group wants to inact a law protecting transgender people against hate crimes and they need petition signatures to get it off the ground. "Pokemon is something that so many people love, and this event lets us talk to people we often talk to, as well as bring in some new people to our cause,” said Erica Barz, the group’s communication specialist. If you happen to live in Des Moines, Iowa, the meetup is Wednesday at 6 PM at Papajohn Sculpture Park.

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