6 THINGS TO DO INSTEAD OF PLAYING POKEMON GO
Pokemon Go has taken the world by storm, and the world has taken the Pokemon Go servers by storm, too, because less than a week after it launched, the servers crashed due to traffic overload. In this article, we tell you how to fill the downtime.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the whole world (an exaggeration, but we live in exaggerated times) is smitten by this game called Pokemon Go. Your best friend is playing it, your spouse is playing it, your kids are playing it, your parents are playing it…well, you get the idea.
Last week, Pokemon Go’s servers crashed, shutting out millions of people out of the game. You should have seen the mayhem caused by all these people feeling deprived of this thing that they discovered barely a week ago. So we thought we will be helpful and tell you what you can do while the servers are still down. And here’s a radical idea: you can try some of these after the servers – gasp! – come back up again.
1. Go for a walk without your phone
We know Pokemon Go has made it cool to go outdoors again, but here’s a suggestion: how about looking at your surroundings and experiencing them through your senses, and not through the screen of your mobile phone for once? Make it socially acceptable again to walk around your block, and maybe even nod a greeting or two at your fellow walkers. Feel the warmth of a real person.
2. Revel in the privacy
God knows we don’t have privacy in our lives anymore. We’ve plastered ourselves all over the internet, and everyone from large corporations to individuals have data on us. Now that Pokemon Go is not infringing upon your privacy even more, how about you enjoy a quiet nap, secure in the knowledge that you have more privacy now? To make it even better, how about revisiting the privacy settings on all your profiles so that you get used to this new feeling?
3. Go to a gym
We know Pokemon Go has made people exercise under the excuse of catching those cute cuddly creatures, but how about going to a real gym instead, or even for a run like we used to before? We admit it’s not as much fun as yelling at the top of your voice and walking down a busy street, but hey, not everything that is fun is good for you, and not everything that is good for you is fun either.
4. Re-friend your real pet
If you have a real pet, take it from us: you have been ignoring him over the last few days, enamoured as you’ve been with virtual animals. Take this break as a welcome opportunity to rekindle your relationship with your pets, because hey, unlike a pixelated drawing, a real animal has the potential to love you back.
5. Go on a date
Whether it is with your long-term spouse or a stranger, go on and take the plunge. Connect with a real person with whom you can make eye contact, whose body language you can read, whom you can touch and smell and laugh with, with whom you can build a conversation. Just don’t let your phone distract you while on this date, and try not to talk about Pokmon Go as a means of building a bond. Fine, if that’s the only thing you guys have in common, go for it. But not otherwise.
6. Read a book
Remember these archaic things? We’re reaching a stage where even eBooks will be regarded passé soon enough. Why not disconnect from the ever-distracted world of the internet and immerse yourself into a book which tells a long, engrossing story? Slow down, and get back in touch with the imaginative powers of your brain.