Pokemon Go, surely people don't actually have time to hunt made up cartoons?

Well, according to how popular the game is, they do. 

Eurgh, it's making people even more addicted to mobile phones. My Grandad, July 2016.

Well yes Grandad, the app needs to be open for people to play, meaning they've got their phones in their hands constantly. Is this a bad thing? Possibly, people walking around unaware of their surroundings as their attention is focused on their screen doesn't sound all that clever.

The other side of it, the side people like my dear old Grandad do not see.

Okay, people are on their phones, but how many of us who have got Pokemon Go open would have their phone out of site in their pockets should the app not exist? Yeah, I thought so, many of us would still have the phone in our hands, on twitter, reddit, facebook etc. So how much really is Pokemon Go responsible for people overusing their phones, the difference with this is that it is encouraging people to actually move their ever increasing in size asses and shuffle along the road to find that elusive Charmander. This for me is definitely a positive, obesity is fast becoming the biggest killer in the UK, gyms are expensive and the dull, wet British weather can put people off going for a walk just to go for a walk. This added incentive is absolutely a good thing.

But Jem, in my day people didn't need incentives to go for a walk.

Admittedly this is true. But we have accepted we live in a society where there are so many distractions to keep us on the couch, that it seems impossible to think the majority of the population will forget all these distractions they've been enjoying for years, instead of dismissing these new ways that are getting people up and out, let's embrace them. I've seen on other social media platforms community events encouraging people to go to green spaces and entrepreneurs have been providing snacks and refreshments in popular Pokemon Go Pokestops. 

image from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

The big picture.

People exercising more, community spirit and enterprises taking off, all seems a good thing to me. Long may it and other games like it continue.