Pokemon

When I told him that I caught a Mantine, he wrote back, Yeah, I think I caught four or five of them today. I didn’t mind—for the first time in my life, my dad and I were talking without a mediator. He called around Thanksgiving to tell me that a new Pokémon had been added. He checked in again during a special water event in the game and said, Are you catching the fire out of these water Pokémon?

Those who would find themselves genuinely excited about simple, fun things are often written off as losers with nothing better to do, while the jaded pat themselves on the back for how mature and intelligent they so obviously are. However, the longer you look at it, the more you begin to notice that it’s quite the opposite.

In the weeks since Pokemon GO was unleashed on the world, people have largely settled into two camps: people who love it and want to play all the time and people who think it’s stupid and make fun of the players. Say what you will, but the haters need to pay attention to the story I’m about to tell, because chasing Pokemon led one family to save a life.

I’m sure the Pokemon Go phenomenon will fade before long, but for the moment, it’s just dumb FUN that might even be good for you. The game cannot fix and should not distract us from the shit-fucking terrible goddamn week we’ve had in the world, but it can remind us that we all need to practice self-care, whatever package it comes in.

Toni talks to us about queerness, games, the meaning of safe space . . . and, of course, bears.

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