I have an embarrassing secret that I'd Iike to get off of my chest. I'm going to share it here with you today in a new segment I'm calling:

Why Can't I Quit You..?!

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We all have things in our lives.. indulgences, ticks, habits.. that I'm sure we know we'd be better off without. Some are rational, while other's don't make any sense. They seem to creep up on us until unknowingly until it's too late! We are hooked, and try as we might, we can't seem to break free from them.

For me, one of those things is Pokemon Go.

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Yeah, that's right. The kids video game, television program, trading card game: Pokemon. You know, Gotta-catch-'em-all?

Well, in 2016 the Pokemon Company partnered with a company known as Niantic to release an augmented reality pokemon game called Pokemon Go.

The premise of the game is simple. It uses the GPS signals from your mobile device in conjunction with niantics servers to make cute little animated pokemon appear on the in game map. As you walk around, you'll be able to see which pokemon are near you and you can hunt down the ones you hope to catch.

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It's a pretty nifty idea, and when it first came out everyone was talking about it. I tried it out for a week or so before getting bored and uninstalling it.

Then, last year I hear that a new pokemon game was in development for the Nintendo Switch. The news surrounding the development was that it would be able to connect with the Pokemon GO mobile app. You could then transfer over pokemon from your phone to the game.

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I knew that I would purchase the Nintendo game to play with my sons when it came out, so I thought I'd better give the Pokemon GO app another shot so that I could stock up on pocket-monsters ahead of time.

Big mistake..

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In the three year since it's release, Niantic has been working around the clock to integrate more and more features into the game. It definitely is a LOT more engaging than it was when it was first released.

Sure, you still catch Pokemon, but now you can trade them with your friends, battle each other, team up to battle super strong Pokemon on steroids, and even find ultra rare Shiny versions of a pokemon if you are extremely lucky.

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Finding a shiny pokemon is somewhat of a bragging point in the pokemon GO community. People share pictures of their lucky finds on social media, and while others spend hours driving around their community hoping for a chance to stumble upon one.

I admit that I have and often continue to be guilty of this behavior. It's become kind of a family ordeal. Each member has their own ID for the game and we go out together looking to see who can find the best.

I've dumped hours of my life and even money into this game, and I wish I could stop. I don't know what it is.. it's become a habit to boot up the phone every time we hop in the car whether it be to go shopping, head out to eat, or to just play the game itself.

In some aspects, it's a way of family bonding, and also a social experience. Meeting up with other players to chat while you fight a raid or compare your finds. Some communities even hold PvP tournaments to see who can battle with the best of 'em!

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The thing is, imagine all the productive things I could be doing with my life if I weren't sinking hours into this game EVERY WEEK!

It's fun, sure. But my biggest thing is.. when it's gone.. what do I have to show for it?

I'm also worried that it may be sending the wrong message to my kids. It's cool to hear them rattle off all the names of all the evolutions of Pokemon that they know (they know more than I do!) but I don't want them to think that mastering a mobile game is something they should aspire to..

but who knows, this day and age.. maybe it is.

For now it seems that the Pokemon has caught me.

Why Can't I Quit You..?!

Am I the only one? Do you guys still play pokemon? or perhaps there are other vices that you can't quit. Please feel free to share! (We won't judge you!) 😋