Randomness

Pikachu!

No, that doesn’t mean “bless you.” 

I have been introduced to a world like no other. A “world” doesn’t even adequately describe it. It’s a culture. For some, a way of life, even.

Six months ago, I had no idea how involved the situation was. Or how much I would fall in love with it. 

Completely random, which is completely the type of person that I am, I started playing Pokemon Go a couple of months ago. A friend’s “Littles,” as I call them, started playing. Then he started playing. And they suggested that I join them.

I resisted for a few weeks. I know myself. I get obsessed with things like that. I never really watched Pokemon and have very little knowledge about the craze. As a matter of fact, I made fun of everyone who went crazy for the game when it came out four years ago. (Facebook even reminded me, quite shamelessly, about a meme I posted four years ago insinuating that everyone who had lost their minds playing were a bit immature.)

I was introduced to several terms and Poke-related lingo, such as hatching eggs, evolving, powering up, Raid bosses, the Professor, and of course I gotta catch ‘em all. I’m sure these terms are foreign to the vast majority of you.

They kept playing and trying to get me to download it. One of the huge reasons my friend encouraged it is because it promotes physical activity, among other things. You get to hatch eggs and earn Pokemon candies when you walk. Not to mention reaching different stops to get gifts and find new Pokemon. 

Last weekend was Pokemon Go Fest, an annual celebration that was conducted slightly different this year due to COVID. It was completely virtual. There were special challenges, some of the harder to obtain Pokemon were available, and there were several different Raid bosses to be fought and caught. 

I spent the better part of Saturday going to a couple of different parks by myself. I met a couple of other players and became “friends” on the game. I caught a TON of Pokemon. Some that I really liked. I managed to find a few “Shiny’s,” which are typically rare to find. 

Sunday I met with a couple of friends who play. We walked around Fremont Street (downtown Vegas) and went to another park, where we defeated several Raid bosses. 

In a time when it would be easy to view the world as a hurting and bleak place, this Pokemon adventure shed light into some very basic human needs that we are more than capable of coming together to fulfill. Some of the things I witnessed were people coming together as a community, being active to improve our health, working together globally to meet the challenges posed in the game, and making new friends.