I tried to hold off as long as possible, I swear. My eight-year-old son has always been a big Pokémon fan, with a collection of hundreds (thousands?) of cards to prove it. But after he watched his younger cousins playing Pokémon Go and saw the game in action, he was relentless in asking if he could get it, too. I came up with several reasons why he didn’t need the game. I told him that we geocache and find real “treasure” out in nature, so we didn’t need to chase digital Pokémon. I mentioned all of the accidents that occurred while people were playing the game and not watching their surroundings. Finally, I decided to download the game onto my phone to see what it was all about. And guess what guys? I discovered I’m a fan!
In a nutshell, Pokémon Go is a location-based game where the player uses a mobile device to “catch” various Pokémon. They can then evolve, train, and battle the different Pokémon to earn rewards.
I’ve discovered many positive benefits of playing Pokémon Go. The most significant benefit to date has been the greater connection it has given me with my son. I started out knowing very little about Pokémon, so this game provides opportunities for my son to teach me. He will take out his books and figures and show me the rare ones and what our current Pokémon will evolve into. When it’s just the two of us on a weekend day, we’ll go for a bit of drive around town so he can collect Poke balls and other items at various Poke stops.
I love to listen to podcasts, and wouldn’t you know that there are several podcasts about Pokémon Go?! Our favorite is Pokémon Go Radio. My son will ask me, “Can we listen to the Pokémon podcast?” which means another bonding moment for us. The podcast has the “Mon That Got Away” and “Catch of the Week” segments. My son will now refer to these bits and tell me which Pokémon he’d choose for each.
My son is learning cooperation and decision-making skills. Although the game is on my phone, he has named and customized his avatar. He will often ask me, “Should we……?” And I will tell him that it’s his game and he can decide. Sometimes he’ll add, “But what do you think?” And I will help him strategize.
You can hatch eggs and receive Pokémon by walking distances ranging from 2 to 10 kilometers in the game. This has been a big incentive for the family to get extra exercise. When we have some free time on a weekend, there are no longer groans and complaints when we suggest going for a family walk.
Finally, it keeps him entertained on the rare shopping trips that we take him on. On a recent trip, I let him sit and play the game so my husband could try on shoes. This kept my son busy for a short time in the store, where he would usually be complaining about boredom and asking when we would be leaving.
We have rules in place for playing Pokémon Go. First, my son can only play the game when I’m around. This is easy to enforce since the game is on my phone. This dramatically limits the amount of time that he can play. Second, he loses the ability to play for the rest of the day if he is caught playing unsafely. We walked in a parking lot the other day, and I told him to close out the game and watch where he was going. Well, he didn’t. So, my phone was immediately taken back from him, and he could not play for the rest of the day, with a strong reminder that safety comes first.
Overall, I have become a fan of Pokémon Go. Like any electronic game, I limit the use of it. However, I have seen many benefits from my son playing this game!
Pokémon Go is free to download in Google Play and the iTunes App store. Check it out if you’re looking for a way to connect and bond with your children!
