Pokemon GO!

Yesterday was a Pokemon Community Day.  I'm not sure if there have been days like this in the past, cause this was the first one in which I participated, and it was a fun experience!

I went to the downtown area in my community with the intention to do a quick once around, catch as many of the elusive Dratini as possible.  However, as I looked to park, I noticed clusters of people wandering around, laughing and smiling.  Didn't take much brainpower to realize they, too, were after Dratini.

What may be a silly video game, has so many positive effects on so many people.  I know my brother makes fun of me cause I still play.  I mean, we started playing together when it first came out, and he lasted a month.  My teacher brain, however, went nuts.  There are a plethora of educational applications to Pokemon Go, and if I had my own classroom.... I can only imagine what people would think - daily Minecraft, and Pokemon Go?  Yup.  But that's a whole different post.

Anyway.  Yesterday's quick once around turned into more than an hour of walking around downtown with hundreds of other people.  I may have been playing by myself, but I was far from alone.  I quickly joined the masses of people laughing and smiling as they walked around on a cold-but-sunny day.

I didn't intend to play for that long.  I didn't intend to be chatting with so many people - from store owners curious as to what the heck was happening, to kids gleefully shouting with each catch, from young couples and teens clustered in groups to extended families and friends and everyone in between.... it just happened.  Community Day did exactly that - brought the community out and together.  Amazing that a video game can do that.

Next Community Day?  I just hope the weather is a bit warmer!