Running the Race: Is Pokémon Go Healthy? - Hope 103.2

Running the Race: Is Pokémon Go Healthy?

It’s that exciting time of the week when Malcolm Gill from Sydney Missionary and Bible College joins us to talk about all kinds of aspects of life and culture and today. Pokémon Go is just exploding around the world. It’s been out for a few months, and I thought it’d be interesting to think about these […]

By Sam RobinsonTuesday 30 Aug 2016FRESHChristian LivingReading Time: 4 minutes

It’s that exciting time of the week when Malcolm Gill from Sydney Missionary and Bible College joins us to talk about all kinds of aspects of life and culture and today. Pokémon Go is just exploding around the world. It’s been out for a few months, and I thought it’d be interesting to think about these a little bit deeper. What’s going on when we play Pokémon Go? Have you played it at all, Mal?

I haven’t, I’ve been at family functions where all of a sudden the mass of people disappear, and then when I find out why it’s because of Pokémon Go.

Oh, Pokémon Go. Okay, so you haven’t played it. I got it for a day and my phone battery just drained fast so I got rid of it, but I thought it’d be interesting to have a chat today about exactly what’s going on. Why is it that we love escaping to this world. What do you think is going on?

A couple of things. I think escaping; you used the word escape or escapism. I think there’s certainly an element of truth to that. The world in which we live, you pick up the paper, or you turn on the internet, and it’s all pretty dire and doom and gloom and there’s something natural about, “Hey, I just want to abandon that for a moment and have something a little more lighthearted.” At one level I can see why it’s popular, and secondly, there is something good just about doing something that uses a different part of your brain. I think fantasy and your idea, not necessarily just escaping, but using a creative side of your brain is an excellent thing.

Pokémon Go, my understanding of it, is for a lot of people, they’re saying it’s excellent. Now, like all things, everything in moderation I guess. But Pokémon Go, I think a lot of people enjoy it because of that mental escape. A lot of people do it for social reasons now.

I was driving down the street the other day, and about maybe a dozen 30-year olds were walking around in a group with their phones all looking down. I think it’s a bit embarrassing that they’re 30 years old and still doing it, but hey horses for courses, but there is something social about that. I think that’s probably a positive. And maybe even for some of the introverts out there, they might do it solo, and it’s just a good mental break for them as well.

I think there are some things like that that make it healthy. I did hear on Hope 103.2 a story the other day though of a man who was wanted by police walked past a police station apparently looking for some of the Pokémon and got recognised. So, I guess for some people; it’s not as helpful.

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That’s right. All right, so you’re not going to rush out and download this game, but you think it’s perhaps a useful thing, Mal.

I do. I think one of the things that’s fun, it’s good, it’s apparently pretty safe. It’s like all things, though, moderation. You know sometimes people get into these things, and years ago it was Facebook and before that, I’m sure once upon a time, it might have been Pac-Man or Frogger or some of the old school games, but people get into things.

I think the danger is when you just disappear and you’re only in that world. But it does remind me also just of a great truth, and that is there is something about that escapism and looking for something better, and I think the apostle Paul, long before there was any Pokémon or any games, he said this. He says, “We don’t look at the troubles now that we see rather we should fix our gaze on things that can’t be seen. For things that we see now will soon be gone, but the things that we cannot see will last forever.” Not a bad thing to chase Pokémons all around the village and not a bad thing to have your head in the game and doing that sort of thing, but as Christians, we’re not just about escapism. We’re looking forward to a reality that we don’t see at the moment, but we know that is coming at the resurrection.

Where was that scripture from?

That was from the book of Colossians.

Fantastic, all right.Thank you so much, Mal, and catch up with you soon.