Pokemon ain't Go-ing away
I get it.
The thrill that Pokemon Go brings... I totally get it.
Take it from someone who detests exercise, yet ran 15km last Saturday
around the Marina Bay area just to catch 300 of them virtual creatures.
You cannot get me to walk, let alone run, around Bedok Reservoir for exercise purposes on any given day.
But to hatch a Pokemon egg? 5km doesn't seem that hard.
To date, I have travelled more than 70km on foot for the game ever since it was released here almost two weeks ago.
Changi, Bugis, Woodlands, Yishun, Jurong - I have been to them all this past week, just to throw virtual balls at virtual creatures.
I have literally travelled across the island, searching far and wide.
I wish I could say the same for Mr Terence Ho, who has caught all 145 available Pokemon without leaving Singapore.
The 39-year-old app developer shared that he got his friends overseas to use his account to capture the Pokemon exclusive to some regions.
In the game's rules, you are not supposed to share your account.
Thus, I am calling it as it is: cheating.
Mr Ho is essentially Gary Oak from the first Pokemon anime series, the protagonist's proud rival who is always ahead but is such a pain.
It is no wonder he has received so much backlash.
That being said, most players are still going to be trying to achieve what he did, hopefully while keeping with the rules.
Cheaters are not enough to demoralise the players who are die-hard fans of the game.
The anticipation and constant blinking as that Pokeball tilts, the relentless spinning of a Pokestop that is just out of reach, I get it.
The game is addictive, and it does not help that SPH News Centre is a daily spawn point for rares like Snorlax and Gyarados.
But if a mild addiction is what it takes to save me from heart disease, why not?
Yet, there must be a line drawn.
Trespassing, fighting, fiddling with your phone while driving - no, just no.
These are things that are not acceptable even without Pokemon Go, so do not do them.
The game has brought out the worst in Singaporeans, a bad side that is irrefutably ugly.
But it has also brought out a good side, of social consciousness and community like that demonstrated by the Pokemon Go North-East Singapore (PGNES) group, which took it upon themselves to clear up litter belonging to other players.
Also, an active lifestyle, to an extent, for those that die die must catch em' all.
Sure, kiasu-ism might be the basis of it, but if it helps combat obesity, why not?
As for the Pokemon Go versus Pokemon No debate on social media, there is no need to pick a camp.
Play what you want to play, or do not if you so fancy.
The reality is that the game is a novelty and interest will wane eventually.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
