What a month! I’ve been playing Pokemon GO for about a month now and I really love the game. When I was younger, I watched Pokemon religiously. Ever since Ash started his adventures from Pallet Town, little me was right there beside him. I had my own mini Pikachu in a Pokeball (I have to try and find it, it’s maybe around 16-17 years old now), almost a full collection of the original 150 trading cards, multiple VHS’s of episodes I loved, I had a full season of the show on VCD, and when I got older a Gameboy Advanced and a copy of Pokemon Sapphire. I’m re-watching the show right now, I’m almost 100 episodes in and even at the age of 21 it’s still fantastic! I think it’s pretty clever to show the “Who’s that Pokemon?” segment of a Pokemon they just introduced, I can imagine kids getting very excited guessing it right.
Anyway, I really love Pokemon GO. I think it’s so interesting that it’s changed the behaviour of so many people all over the world; there are so many people out walking now. 
I used to see close to nobody when I walked along the lakeside but now it’s full of kids, teenagers, and parents alike! My town isn’t as bustling like Toronto but around the lakeside there are still lots of people. It’s really surprising now to see so many people hanging around on my walks. It’s amazing to see so many people making friends and being outside.
It’s also really amazing being able to walk around with my friends. Before it was terribly hard to drag them outside but now it’s nice to walk around, catch some Pokemon, and catch up with each other’s lives since we can’t spend too much time together anymore.
I’ve caught several of my favourite childhood Pokemon already like Haunter, Dewgong, and Eevee! Dragonair still escapes me, but I will catch one eventually! So far I’ve caught 82 out of the 142 that can be possibly caught in North America. I’m getting there! I’ve found a few Pokestops around the GTA that are also worth sharing.
I just got to level 21 today, from this point on leveling up will be arduous task as the experience points needed to gain 1 level increase exponentially. Leveling up and catching the most powerful Pokemon isn’t the highest priority for me though since I’m just trying to catch as many as I can and complete the Pokedex (but I will be happy once I catch a Dragonair). Exploring the town while catching Pokemon also opens my eyes to seeing the town in a different perspective! Going out more frequently let’s me capture more moments like these.
Overall, Pokemon GO has enriched some people’s lives, mine included I think! It’s exciting to come home and show my family and partner new Pokemon I caught during the day or funny things that happen during my walks.
BlueHour 