Popular culture’s vision of the future is pretty dark. As Kevin Kelly, former Wired editor and author of the ‘The Inevitable’, a relentlessly positive vision of the future, explained to me, “There’s no popular culture vision of the future I want to live in. Star Trek comes closest but it’s not even on this planet.” The dominant narrative is one of growing social isolation and withdrawal from the real world.
But then Thursday afternoon I downloaded Pokemon Go and started to wander around the Central Park. The game has you walking around outside, checking in at points of interest and discovering hidden Pokemon.
The beauty of Pokemon Go is how its mechanics encourage people not just to stare at their iPhones and walk into trees but talk to each other. Thousands are meeting up in real life around Pokemon hot spots. Folks who seemed like they would be awkward and withdrawn in other circumstances are talking to strangers and sharing tips. I love how don’t have to race to a particular place to get the Pokemon before others — instead, many items help folks around you. Also, it’s really pleasant that the game isn’t covered yet with sponsored items and locations.
Playing Pokemon Go left me more, not less, engaged with the world. Its egg hatching mechanic — where you’re required to walk a few miles to hatch a new Pokemon — had me getting off the train a few stops early just to coax my eggs along. I noticed plaques and sculptures I’ve walked by thousands of times. While catching virtual monsters I found myself staring at and appreciating some turtles for way longer than I would have a week ago. After an hour transfixed by the looped animations of Doduos and Ratatats a real turtle moving its head in and out of its shell blew me away. Technology is probably not going to give us photorealistic things that we can interact with, but it will heighten our awareness of what’s out there and allow us to notice things we miss or take for granted.
The world can be a pretty awful place. For the past six months, I’ve been working through a concussion that’s had me struggling to look at screens and socialize without pain. Sitting at home with chronic nausea watching Trump win the Republican nomination, ISIS attack the west, and cops kill people and people kill cops has not been a recipe to make me want to be the very best.
But yesterday, I found myself doing weirdly nice things. I left a volunteer gardener a thank you note, helped some tourists pick a restaurant, and gave a grade schooler a tip on his math homework. Maybe it was the weather, but I’ve got a feeling the good vibes from connecting with other Pokemon trainers primed me to be to be more helpful and engaged.
Over the past few days, a new technology encouraged people of all ages and races to get outside for a joyous collective experience. Kevin Kelly said that “we need a vision of where we want to go in order to get there.” Of all things, Pokemon has shown me just that.