Never before have we seen a game that has received so much love from the audience in such a small amount of time. Long story short – Pokémon Go took over the world as we know it. Pokémon Go was the first app of its kind that asked their players to actually walk around, to play and progress. Nintendo tried something similar with their “Wii” console but wasn’t able to achieve the desired results. The controllers’ advanced technology made people move their arms and legs to play the game, but that didn’t work out too well since they could do so by sitting in one place. However, Pokémon Go achieved exactly what they wanted with the game. 3 months into the first beta launch, the game has been downloaded 600 Million times on Android and iOS combined.
However, the app is not all rainbows and unicorns. The app has caused hundreds of accidents around the world, due to Pokémon players, who don’t pay much attention to their surrounding while playing Pokémon. Pokémon has been the cause the thousands of robberies and assaults worldwide. Even though there’s nothing else to explain really, we’ll take the time to break down the game for you, so you know what it is all about.
Why Is Pokémon Go Bad?
Pokémon Go can’t be called bad, per se. I mean, if you’re a parent, and your son is addicted to Pokémon GO, then you’d probably be happy in a way that your son in participating in something that is completely legal, instead of doing something like, say drugs for instance. But, it isn’t all that simple. We’ve seen this over the past few decades that whenever people like something too much, they will end up doing something stupid. Even though this game was a great treat for us ‘90’s kids who loved the OG Pokémon on Cartoon Network, however, the game is nothing like that.
How Is Pokémon Go Putting Teens in Danger?
We’ve already discussed what mishaps Pokémon Go has created over the span of 3 months, but the story doesn’t end there. Even adults have been involved in these incidents. Now, imagine your teen playing this on the street,
What Can Parents Do?
Situations such as these put parents in a bind of sorts. They can neither tell their children that they are doing something wrong, nor can they can pacify themselves by thinking that their children are just playing a game. In such cases, the only thing parents can do is weight pros and cons against one another and either their children from playing this game and consequently put a strain on their bond. Or, they could invest in spy applications and;
- Keep their children from installing this app in the first place.
- Delete the app if they have already installed it.
- Temporarily pause the app when you know for a fact that they are driving or going somewhere where walking and playing Pokémon Go simultaneously can put in the harm’sway.
- Block the app once and forever and keep them from downloading or using it.
- Since the games require internet to be fully accessible to its players, parents can very easily block access to the internet in order to keep them from playing the game while they are driving.
- Do it all so stealthily that your child will never know whether you were the reason why they can no longer access their favorite game.
The Bottom Line
Pokémon Go is a very entertaining game, there is no doubt about that. Yet, at the same time, if the game has been responsible for countless deaths and injuries to adults and teenagers, the cons will always outweigh the pros. Whether someone was simply walking down the street and be hit by a car, whose driver was too engrossed in Pokémon Go, can such a gaming app be good for anybody, no matter what?
Thus, before careless teenagers risk their lives, well being as well as their future by doing something that is very much legal but could have long-term negative impacts on their life, then by all means, parents and the people that care about them have the right to stop them, by using any means that they deem fit.
Also Read: Top 10 Android Games to Play