PGO player, engineer, and fellow racketeer here.
There is much controversy about this game and the errant lack of awareness of some of those that play (the "zombies" many are seeing).
Maybe you think chasing invisible, weird-named, virtual creatures is just immature of 20 and 30-somethings (I'm 25 BTW). Maybe you laugh at all these kids running around looking at their phones or trying to "hack" the game by strapping it to their dogs, drones, other children, etc. Maybe it is just a silly game/fad and it'll die in a few weeks/months.
Maybe...
I live in Titusville, FL where we have stellar views of the launch facilities at KSC and CCAFS. There are easily a dozen parks along US-1 in Brevard where you can view launches and sit by the river, enjoying the afternoon sea breeze. If you ever get a chance to visit, come by Space View Park and Veterans Memorial Park. About two or three months ago my SO and I visited these parks and they were barren. Completely devoid of anyone save for a few older folks that were paying respects at the memorial.
No kids whatsoever.
At this park are there are wonderful metal sculptures dedicated to the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and even Shuttle programs, with the names of hundreds of people who contributed to each memorial. Additionally, there is a kind of "Space Star Boulevard" with hand impressions from many astronauts, and a memorial dedicated to those explorers who perished. All of this I only recently discovered having lived here for just under a year.
With the release of this game, this park became a Pokemon gold-mine overnight and in the last week I have seen HUNDREDS of different individuals out at the park. I ran into a 30-something couple playing the app with their daughter. They had lived in Titusville for 10 years and
never knew the park existed.
How? It's not the big attraction. KSC Visitor Center is what draws tourist to the area, and Titusville is out of the way for pretty much everyone visiting the space center.
I have been to the park four times in the past week for Pokemon, and each night it is packed with people of ALL ages. From young children playing with their parents, to teens/young adults and *gasp* millennials, married couples and those well into their retirement. The game brought this town into areas that so few know about and has united many people that might not interact otherwise.
I think this game has genuinely helped bring communities together in the past week, especially with the events going on across our world.
I don't pretend to be a happy-go-lucky "millennial" who believes if we all love each other then violence will stop and all will be rainbows and unicorns. I am an engineer and a realist and I expect that stupid people playing this game will only show how stupid they are (maybe we can bring Stupidity Awareness to the medical forefront). I digress...
If you are so inclined to view some of the positive changes this app has brought about, go to the PokemonGo subreddit (reddit.com/r/pokemongo). Walking for charity, picking up trash, cleaning up graffiti, etc. Many of these people might not have given these actions a second glance, but unifying over something as simple as virtual monsters seems to have motivated a lot of younger people to get out and explore their communities.
I say, even if some idiots make it to the front page, it still has a net positive effect. As long as they stay off my lawn:eyeroll:, I'm okay with as many people playing it as possible.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to catch this Pikachu, and finish my Eggfinder.
