Pokemon Go! A generation lost in 1 day....

Khaos wrote: Why is everything that takes up attention considered escapism?

What exactly do people mean by "the here and now."

Here , now
oops gone
here then
ow gone again
here ! aaahw , its gone again...now?

Hmm my cocern with this game is that it is extremely distracting and seems addictive and i am weary of stuff that is that , but i am weary very quicly , so it will pass like so many things , like the NOW , and the Here ...and its gone again

Khaos wrote:

Why is everything that takes up attention considered escapism?

It is not. Merriam-Webster puts it as “habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity or entertainment as an escape from reality or routine”. I’d point to the habitual part of that quote, as with anything it’s a question of quantity.

Khaos wrote:

What exactly do people mean by "the here and now."

I don’t have a dictionary answer to that, so a personal example will have to do. I played enough to entirely loose the ‘here and now’ which to me is the sensation of my surroundings. The most enlightening experience I had with that was standing on a hill, feeling sun on my skin, the brushing of wind and smelling nature around me. Very basic sensations, all of them at that point lost to me for about 5 years. That, to me, is the here and now.

For a moment, let's not just look at Pokemon GO. Let's zoom out a bit from the picture...

Would we say moderation is healthy?

(And let's not try to pull the Oscar Wilde quote. We're not really talking about absolutely everything, but, everything that is obviously necessary)

If moderation is to be healthy and recommended for something such as virtual immersion (disconnection from current reality), what then of a product that actively promotes and suggests unending attention to it (regardless of its legal requirements to give the player "warnings")?

Games are fun and can also be healthy for brain activity, as well as social bonding between players. They can also provide a way for those with certain mental conditions to be more active in ways they cannot normally in social venues.

Granted, should we not, however, think about what all is involved in the fact that these kinds of games are heavily marketed products - products which are designed to be played for as long as possible (to rack up points/power/etc) and to draw as many buyers in as possible for the profit/popularity of the company that sells it? We don't have to only be talking about Pokemon Go, we could be talking about WOW (World of Warcraft) for example, a game with a very acute reputation for its addictive nature, or many other games where, in order to even make any notable progress requires hours and hours of game play usually in a single session.

We can well accept that there are people out there who surely do have a strong enough will to step away from them when needed. Of course.

But what of those who simply do not have that will?

In fact, what of those who once had that will, but due to the nature of a game's requirements to "get the most of one's money out of it", whose will been eroded down by clever virtual persuasion?

I've watched a person over a span of 10 years, go from one of the most out-going, intelligent, clever, and worldly valuable people I've ever known, to a complete zombie who religiously sits in front of a game every single day and has lost almost all of their real ability to socialize in person, much less keep a job for even a week, eat anything that isn't made up of mostly sugar, live anywhere on their own, or ever want to reach for actual aspirations that don't involve pixels on a screen in which they have spent thousands of dollars on.

The issue here, to me, is what a company is willing to do and ignore, to make it to the top of a market, even if it means tricking people into spending their entire lives idolizing their products with as much of their attention as possible.

All that said, if a game can get someone out of the house and physical, it's not all a bad thing. My take is on the gaming industry in general and how they manipulate games for the advantage of the companies more than for the players. I feel it is something we should always be mindful about.

I personally know a lot of people with major depression or anxiety disorders who only got out of the house and into public, getting physical exercise for the first time in years in some cases, because of Pokemon Go. And I know quite a few people with agoraphobia or social anxiety disorder who were able to go out and make friends just because of the game. It's a good thing. Anyone who breaks into a house or causes a car crash while playing Pokemon Go is not using the game as intended or designed.

I think that Pokemon Go is a truly positive addition to the world and will improve the physical and mental health of its players over time. Two thumbs up, 5 stars, etc.

MartaLina wrote:

Khaos wrote: Why is everything that takes up attention considered escapism?

What exactly do people mean by "the here and now."

Here , now
oops gone
here then
ow gone again
here ! aaahw , its gone again...now?

Hmm my cocern with this game is that it is extremely distracting and seems addictive and i am weary of stuff that is that , but i am weary very quicly , so it will pass like so many things , like the NOW , and the Here ...and its gone again

So, you dont actually have a legit answer, just a paranoia for possibly addictive things which could be well, anything.

This game runs no more or less a risk in that than any other thing people get addicted too.

To be honest, of course the generation is lost. The world changes, and we, as humans have to change with it.

Khaos wrote:

MartaLina wrote:

Khaos wrote: Why is everything that takes up attention considered escapism?

What exactly do people mean by "the here and now."

Here , now
oops gone
here then
ow gone again
here ! aaahw , its gone again...now?

Hmm my cocern with this game is that it is extremely distracting and seems addictive and i am weary of stuff that is that , but i am weary very quicly , so it will pass like so many things , like the NOW , and the Here ...and its gone again

So, you dont actually have a legit answer, just a paranoia for possibly addictive things which could be well, anything.

This game runs no more or less a risk in that than any other thing people get addicted too.

Yep , no legit answer , just a weird feeling about these passtimes that keep people so occupied , you are right , there are many things to get addicted to and i am weary of of most of them :dry: you may call it paranoie , you may call it what you want

Trisskar Update:

Went on a full day family adventure with some close friends - That means, 4 adults and 6 kids. Youngest being of 3 years and oldest being of 10 years.

I won't go into details of the adventure (private reasons )

However I will say : 3 of 4 adults was playing Pokemon Go that day. 2 of us got a level, and about 10 Pokemon. We also got to see a really cool Lake with an old dock, caught several tiny real frogs for the kids to see (And release), Had many great conversations and went out for a family pizza at a fancy wood oven restaurant. + Some Adult things that was the highlight of the adventure and was a huge success!

So far....No Accidents. No dangerous or un-social Distraction, and no noses stuck in phone screens.

It was an awesome day!!

I figured out that every day that I go to work (where I skip my breaks and spend almost the whole day working in the freezing cold) for 53% of my paycheck because of old debts I have to pay back, I get one water type pokemon right about the time I leave.

And that makes it okay.

Also: 500 Magikarp candies to get a Gyarados? Holy crap. That means I have to catch 126 magikarps altogether. :S :dry:

I will say this with all respect intended. Normally when new things come up that attract attention there will be four groups:

The Fans: Those who have been waiting for the game since it's original announce & are fans of (let's say pokemon ) in general.

The Followers: Those who are only following a crowd to either fit in or are curious; but will disappear once the hype goes down.

The Haters: Normally , Pokemon fan's or people that haven't tried playing but want to be the one's that don't follow a crowd and make ill comment on those who do...

The Nonchalant : Those who truly do not care & have no opinion.

I wanted to list these because I see alot of people paying the game both fan and people who just want to follow a crowd and honestly, I have no problem with that. I wouldn't say a generation is lost because people decided to play a video game. Such a statement is the same as saying , A generation was lost because millions waited in line to see A Force Awakened on day 1.

I've actually seen a video ( cannot remember the publisher ) but it featured a woman hiding in bushes trying to catch pokemon , one standing in from of a dart bull's eye game and another walking into a conference room with her phone pointed out as if the force was pulling her around, through her phone.

I shared this video with friends that also play the game and their only response was "..but why are they doing that?"
The reason being is that one would play pokemon go in the same standing position as one would playing flappy birds. However, due to little information and a mixture of trying to stay out of the scene, we get those who flame something they know little about.

No harm is truly coming to anyone & there is no life changing culture anyone is being forced to adapt to. Me personally, and I say this as a black male in 2016, I'm glad to see Pokemon Go putting smiles on the faces of my peers with so much innocent blood being shed.

So why the hate?

I believe there are people who generally feel separated from others so they intentionally push themselves away from others in order to feel mentally superior.

As for my opinion about the game, I do not like it.. I like the handheld versions alot better however I play the game in hopes that there will be updates to make the Pokemon Go more like Pokemon ( trading, battling , ect. ) which is the only thing that it is lacking.