Pokemon Go! as a nuisance to other outdoor activities

[2farnorth]

Apparently "adults" are into this as well.

Don't judge me.

That being said, don't Poké and drive.

My daughter commented last night that there were several cars that went by her house very slowly with the drivers staring at their phones. Couple went around the corner and stopped in the street with the driver hoping out . She said it's not just youngsters either.

[loktite]

and here we go.... Driver in Baltimore smashes into parked police car (luckily was unoccupied)

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/07/20/ ... l-car.html

[karatedad]

I see a lot of people hating on the game and the effects it is having on those who don't choose to play. The real problem seems to be those few who can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

It's very similar to the way some people feel about us and our guns. A small percentage of people using the product cause a problem so, because others don't understand or like our reasons for having it. Get rid of it!

[The Annoyed Man]

My neighbor had someone jump their fence, at 2 in the morning, to get into their backyard because one of these things was supposedly there. This game is going to get someone killed. Anyone in my backyard at 2am is likely not going to catch anything but a bullet or 8.

You're a 1911 guy?

[kvaca]

I have the app but don't play it as avidly as others. Simply put, it's a throwback to one of the first, and best, games I played in my childhood. The game is, in my opinion, a fantastic way to get a younger generation outdoors. It's also a great way to bring people together.

As far as situational awareness is concerned, the company who made the game is releasing some Bluetooth device with a button and a light. It lights up anytime you can do something in the game, and simply pressing its button will allow you to not miss it. This will most likely help the few who obtain the object to keep their nose out of their phone.

The game also has a speed limit. If you're going faster than roughly 35mph, the game doesn't; register that you're moving, spawn Pokemon, and it is too fast to collect items from pokestops. Although 35 is still a bit fast for someone driving and playing, a child sitting in the back of a car will probably appreciate that limit.

I don't understand the "hopping fences" situation. The game doesn't require you to be right on top of the Pokemon you're looking for. Actually, it has something of a 50ft range. On top of that, "tracking" the Pokemon doesn't necessarily entail very accurate knowledge on where a Pokemon is located. You are given a distance in silhouettes of animal feet. 3 of them means you're off by almost a kilometer, down to 0 feet meaning you're within 40 meters or so. It tells you very little of direction. I can't imagine the need to hop fences to get to the Pokemon you're looking for. Actually, I hope if enough of these types of cases present themselves, they'll extend your range... Wishful thinking...

Usually, when I play, I take a friend with me, and he has both of our phones, one in each hand, as I drive around. I don't make awkward stops, and if he asks me to turn around, I first consider other drivers in the area. We had gone to a shopping center late at night once, and although many shops were closed, there were a great deal of people roaming around playing the game. We didn't stick around though. We're not a fan of getting into sketchy situations.

As with anything people do, some will not be very smart in its practice. Just as some people who drive might drink prior to or speed, just as some who ride bicycles might think the road is the best place to do so, Pokemon Go is no different. There are those who play responsibly, and those who don't. The app has been downloaded by over a million people. Some may lack situational awareness, but not everyone crashes into parked cop cars or drives off cliffs.

If my friend and I plan on going Pokehunting, we always carry, and we make sure to make situational awareness our first priority.

Just my 2¢

[txhighlander]

My neighbor had someone jump their fence, at 2 in the morning, to get into their backyard because one of these things was supposedly there. This game is going to get someone killed. Anyone in my backyard at 2am is likely not going to catch anything but a bullet or 8.

Anyone jumps in my back yard they will wish they were dealing with me. The wolf looking husky mix doesn't like anyone but family.

[Ryan]

My neighbor had someone jump their fence, at 2 in the morning, to get into their backyard because one of these things was supposedly there. This game is going to get someone killed. Anyone in my backyard at 2am is likely not going to catch anything but a bullet or 8.

You're a 1911 guy?

That would be a correct assumption my friend

I have an affinity for Sig Sauer 1911's and Les Baer's. 1911 purists, please don't hate me too much for liking a non-traditional 1911

[Ryan]

And to be clear, I have no problem with people playing the game so long as they don't violate laws and privacy while doing so. In fact, I think the game is great in that it DOES get people off of their duffs and out exercising.

[goose]

I am being given one and a half to two hours a night with my two teen aged boys because of this stupid game. And because I am willing to ride bikes with them and drive them some, I am the best dad ever. Is it mindless? Oh yeah. Are we laughing and teasing and strategizing together when we might otherwise be back home doing separate things? Oh yeah. Hate on it if you want. I am loving every minute of it.

[rentz]

I don't understand the "hopping fences" situation. The game doesn't require you to be right on top of the Pokemon you're looking for. Actually, it has something of a 50ft range. On top of that, "tracking" the Pokemon doesn't necessarily entail very accurate knowledge on where a Pokemon is located. You are given a distance in silhouettes of animal feet. 3 of them means you're off by almost a kilometer, down to 0 feet meaning you're within 40 meters or so. It tells you very little of direction. I can't imagine the need to hop fences to get to the Pokemon you're looking for. Actually, I hope if enough of these types of cases present themselves, they'll extend your range... Wishful thinking...

this is where i am confused, no one needs to jump fences to get close enough to the spots but as with everything in this world a few idiots ruin things for the good people.
only issue I have with the game is the lack of control some places have over a spot being put, one example was a man living in an old church and his church/house was marked as a pokemon stop. And some hospital emergency areas are being marked as spots too.

the game itself is harmless fun as long as people are mindful of their locations and arent using a phone wile driving (which is a common problem outside this game)

[The Annoyed Man]

The game selects for Darwin Award winners: http://www.scarymommy.com/teen-pokemon- ... -accident/

[goose]

The game selects for Darwin Award winners: http://www.scarymommy.com/teen-pokemon- ... -accident/

"The game made me do it. I had no control. I had no...warning. No one told me cars wouldn't stop for me. I blame the game."

[LucasMcCain]

I am being given one and a half to two hours a night with my two teen aged boys because of this stupid game. And because I am willing to ride bikes with them and drive them some, I am the best dad ever. Is it mindless? Oh yeah. Are we laughing and teasing and strategizing together when we might otherwise be back home doing separate things? Oh yeah. Hate on it if you want. I am loving every minute of it.

This story made me smile. Good for you! I know my folks indulged some stupid things my brother and I liked because it meant spending time together.

[goose]

I am being given one and a half to two hours a night with my two teen aged boys because of this stupid game. And because I am willing to ride bikes with them and drive them some, I am the best dad ever. Is it mindless? Oh yeah. Are we laughing and teasing and strategizing together when we might otherwise be back home doing separate things? Oh yeah. Hate on it if you want. I am loving every minute of it.

This story made me smile. Good for you! I know my folks indulged some stupid things my brother and I liked because it meant spending time together.

Thank you, sir. This parenting stuff can be hard at times. How much grace to give; how much law to give; etc, etc. This one is easy for me.

At times I feel dorky as sin. As a player you very quickly learn how to discern the Pokemon folks from the regular "head in a phone" folks. Which means I know darn good and well I am being outed as a middle aged dude playing a kids' game. But then one of my boys will call out, "Up two blocks and a left. There is a stop." Then I quit caring about who is watching. Ah, who am I to kid. I still care about being viewed as silly, but it isn't even close to making me give up this time with them. Three or four months from now I will be begging for conversation topics with the older one.

Of note, I am blessed with good kids. But that doesn't mean that it is always easy to relate to them at their level.

[The Annoyed Man]

My wife and son and I had exactly the same kind of quality family time benefit with geocaching. Goose, I'm happy that you're getting that benefit with your sons. That is time spent the best possible way, and they will remember that time as a high point in their growing up.

I don't worry about the adult supervised kids who are out playing this game. I worry about the kids who are out by themselves without the wisdom to know what not to do; or people like this fool who plow their vehicles into cop cars because they are distracted by the game:
http://usat.ly/2ab4p1J

I use my phone a lot, in a lot of different situations, for a lot of different things - including entertainment. But when I'm driving, it's paired to my vehicle's sound system, and so I play my tunes that way, and I can make and receive hands free phone calls using controls on the steering wheel and voice recognition, and I keep my eyes on the road........and I don't walk around with my head in my phone. BUT......I have used my phone to find geocaches. So although I'm not into the Pokémon Go thing, I do get it. I'm just not as knocked out by "augmented" or "virtual" reality as some people are. It's not my thing.