Pokemon Go . . . Away!

You've probably heard about the Pokémon Go craze that's hit America (and maybe the rest of the world). The creators of Pokémon thought it would be good idea to have a scavenger hunt where video game players could go outside to find these little Pokémon creatures. It seemed like a good idea at the time, because shortly after the game came out, I began seeing teenagers out and about getting some much-needed fresh air, albeit with smartphones in hand.


Now, it's just downright annoying. My son has been hit with the Pokémon bug. "Mom," he said. "There's a Pokémon across the street. Can I go out and get it?"


"No," I said. "We're in a restaurant, and you're going to sit there and eat your dinner!"


When we were done, we went out and walked along the shopping center walkway. The boy stopped. "There's a Pokémon over there, at the theater. Can we walk over and get it?"


I frowned. "Fine. But no more of this!"


We walked across, he got the Pokémon, and we walked back to where we had been.


A few minutes later, my son asked, "How far is ten kilometers?"


"Too far," I said. "There's no way we're walking ten kilometers so you can find a Pokémon!"


"That's not bad," he said. "If we start walking now, we'll get there before dark."


Grrr!




Other random Pokémon incidences:  We saw a sign in an car oil changing place that announced they had Pokémon there. We saw another sign at a police station that said, "Don't even think about stealing our Pokémon!" And lastly, the LA zoo and a huge Pokémon promo day. They were not doing so well in attendance numbers, but when they announced that they had Pokémon at the zoo, thousands showed up just to catch them. What a marketing tactic!