You would have to be living under a rock to not notice the phenomena that is Pokémon Go. Most of us remember the Pokémon characters of the early 90's from the cartoons, video games, and the line of retail toys and cards. Created by video game designer Satoshi Tajiri.

Pokémon Go launched on July 5th, and is reminiscent of the original game. Only this time it's real life. The idea is still the same.  There are in-app purchases (of course) and this game is a huge DATA SUCK. 

Here are some answers to the questions in your mind:

Are you missing out on fun if you don't play?
We are all driven by a little FOMO (Fear of Mission Out) so I totally understand the question. I mean, I'm competitive by nature and I'm a runner so in my mind I'm thinking I could really clean up on this game. However, since I'm an adult with responsibilities and other hobbies I'm ok with missing out on this fun.   So you need to answer that question yourself. The goal of the game is to get people hooked and then profit off the game.  Everything in today's app world comes down to monetization. Making the next billion dollar app.   

There are roughly 175 Million adults with smartphones, and of those there are 7.5 Million downloads of Pokémon Go.  So if you aren't playing you are in the majority.

Do I need to play to stay relevant?
Please look back at my answer to the first question.  If you are intrigued, then by all means give it a whirl.  I personally have a very slow trigger to new apps.  I'm an early adopter by nature, but I'm incredibly selective.  Games unfortunately take a back seat.  I mean I still enjoy Minesweeper, if that tells you anything.

Why are people hating on Pokémon Go? 
Well we live in a world where someone is always mad.  If you enjoy this game and you're not hurting anyone then enjoy. I mean for crying out loud as adults we have so much on our plates, if we can chill out for a bit there's nothing wrong with that, right?

This blog is for my audience. Who is my audience? Generally, it's successful business owners, executives, and professionals.  I know, I think very highly of my audience, I really do.  So for you I want to assure you that your business is not going to suffer if you don't engage on this game/app. If my opinion changes or I see anything detrimental in the future I will let you know. 

Margaret, why the title "Pokémon Go...Away?"  
My peers, clients, and network lean on me to help with the study and implementation of new trends.  So when something sweeps our screens I get a flood of texts and pings asking if this is something they should be concerned with.  What's concerning is the accidents and incidents that have been associated with the game and reported by the media.  Car accidents, fights, falls, car hits, fatalities and more? Who knows what to believe anymore.  I don't know if it's connected or coincidence. 

If you do play, play with care. And don't lose your wits. One last thing that I should let you know about >>

Buzzfeed reports:

According to the Pokémon Go privacy policy, Niantic may collect — among other things — your email address, IP address, the web page you were using before logging into Pokémon Go, your username, and your location. And if you use your Google account for sign-in and use an iOS device, unless you specifically revoke it, Niantic has access to your entire Google account. That means Niantic has read and write access to your email, Google Drive docs, and more.

What are your thoughts on Pokémon Go? 

Comment below or tweet me @MargMarieB

Sincerely,
Margaret and The SocializeLA.com Team