Perceived Risks of Pokémon Go

Without opening up the "kids and screen time" debate once again , there are some objections and challenges, unique to Pokémon Go.

As you can imagine, a game that places cute little avatars on a virtual map, will obviously catch anyone's attention. Indeed, there have been cases of people wandering into traffic as they look at their virtual map screen, while walking their avatar towards a nearby Pokémon.

Though the map displays streets, you can't see the traffic and other hazards in this animated augmented reality scenario. To remind users of these dangers, there is a warning that appears every time you re-open the app, and another as you're about to play.

Here are pics of these engaging (and I would hope effective) warning screens:

The game also senses when you're in a vehicle, so it confirms that you are not the driver, before allowing you to continue. Of course a user could find a way to cheat this system, but I personally think that Pokémon Go's developers, Niantic Inc., deserve huge kudos for including warning signs and safeguards that virtually no other gaming or app company has instituted. Besides, people were bumping into things and wandering into traffic, long before Pokémon Go appeared on the scene.

One Clear and Present Danger of Pokémon Go: Your Data Plan

The biggest real downfall to Pokémon Go is the simple fact that it uses so much cell phone data. I haven't felt this pinch, because my son is a fairly conservative user, and I have a sizeable business data plan. But this is by far the number one complaint of parents that I've talked to. Since it's a game that is played while being out and about, there is very little WIFI generally available for the game. If you have an expensive data plan, this could be a real concern.

The Brighter Side of Pokémon Go

When I allowed my son to hijack my very new iPhone for a recent road trip, I didn't expect any positive outcomes. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the developers have done some amazing things to get kids outside, and keep them there.

In his quest for Pokéballs, my son quickly discovered the hottest Pokéstop where he could get "recharged" (at the City Hall in the small Québec town where we were vacationing). Once, and sometimes twice a day, he would ask that I pull into the parking lot, until he received more Pokéballs.

He also requested that I chauffeur him around the little village, which brought us to a beautiful municipal beach, through a century old neighbourhood. This is where I was sold on Pokémon Go. He asked that we park the car, and walk. He could see on his map that some Pokémons were in a nearby park, and a very rare Pokémon would become available, but only if we walked 5 kilometres (about 4 miles) within the next 24 hours. So, Pokémon Go actually challenged him to get more exercise, and brought us to beautiful places that we would otherwise not have visited. Big thumbs up from this parent.

Read Part 3: Opportunity for Connection