Five things I've learned from Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go themed art cards, available on my Etsy shop

Pokemon Go has taken the world by storm, and secret nerds like me are loving it. The Pokemon fandom is the only one I’ve ever been a member of, and knowing that I can suddenly talk about so many people about it is amazing! It’s also taught me some valuable lessons in the short time it’s been out, which I thought I’d share with you.

1. Exercise can be fun

I’ve spent the majority of my life desperately trying to avoid activity. I’m just one of those people who just does not enjoy exercising; swimming and hiking are the only exceptions. However, this app has had me power walking all over the place – I managed to walk 25km (about 15.5 miles) in the first four days of having it, which is probably what I normally do in a month! In the past few years I’ve meant to try and be more active, but now I’m doing it without even realising.

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for yourself, so I’d definitely recommend downloading Pokemon Go if you’re trying to sneak more into your life. The physical benefits of getting fit are obvious, but it can also cause a dramatic improvement in our mental health too.

2. Group identity is very important

In social psychology class, one of the first things you’re taught is how strongly people value their membership of social groups. For example, one classic study showed that even randomly putting people into groups can produce pretty severe discrimination between those groups. It’s one of those things which you learn about, but don’t really believe until you see it. But trust me, I’ve seen it. In Go, you have to choose to be a member of Team Mystic, Team Instinct or Team Valor. Although this does little more that decide whether to play with or against your friends, it’s resulted in some intense rivalries in my local area! If you're interested, I'm on Team Valor.

3. People are lovely

“Stranger danger” is hammered into us from a young age, so it’s easy to get wrapped up in social anxiety. Despite this, Go has been bringing people together and encouraging interaction with people you may not generally talk to. I’m happy to admit that I don’t get on with kids, but in the past week I’ve given tips to more younger people than I can count.

There’s also a substantial amount of 18-25 year olds playing the game, and often they have a brilliant sense of humour. While my boyfriend and I were out taking over gyms, we met some guys and joked about the team rivalries, and later drove along next to us blasting the original Pokemon theme tune! These kind of hilarious interactions make going out to play the game even more fun.

4. I’m allergic to bug bites

The park right next to our house is a PokeStop, so the occasional lure gets placed on it. This happened again yesterday morning, so I went and sat in the grass to read and hopefully catch a few Pokemon too. However, I was swiftly bitten by a horrible little creature. Now the bites have swollen across half of my leg and is incredibly painful – which ironically means I can’t walk far enough to catch any Pokemon!

If this happens to you, there’s a natural balm you can use to help heal the reaction. Mix three teaspoons of melted coconut oil with two drops of chamomile essential oil and one drop of tea tree essential oil. The soothing and antibacterial properties of the oils will help to reduce swelling and prevent and infection. You can also use chilled chamomile tea bags as a cold compress. Please go to your doctor if the reaction continues to spread, as allergic reactions can be very serious.

5. Nostalgia is powerful

As I’ve alluded to already, a large chunk of players are adults. This is largely due to how well the nostalgia factor combines with the technology. Every child in the 90s/early 00s wanted to be able to catch real life Pokemon, and now we (kind of) can! The unprecedented success of the app can be attributed partially to this, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see more brands capitalising on nostalgia in the future.

I’d love to hear what you think of Pokemon Go in the comments. If you’re looking for a friendly place to talk about Pokemon, I’d definitely recommend the forum Pokemon Crossroads. They’re currently holding a Go-themed competition, so definitely check that out.

Have a great day, and good luck catching them all!