You shouldn't be ashamed of playing 'Pokemon Go' and loving it

Hi! My name is Raymond Wong and I just turned 28 a few months ago. I love Pokémon Go and I'm not ashamed of everyone knowing. And neither should you, however old you are.

Pokémon Go has taken the world by storm, and the game hasn't even been released in many parts of the world yet. It just launched a few days ago in Europe.

Despite some people *cough* Mashable chief correspondent Lance Ulanoff *cough* who think the joy won't last and Pokémon Go is another fad we'll all soon forget about (I disagree), I'm still shocked at how many people are embarrassed to admit they are enjoying the game.

In the week since the game was released for iOS and Android, I've seen people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds play the game. I've literally been posting snaps on Snapchat every day of kids, teens and adults playing Pokémon Go.

Everywhere I look people are outside walking around and catching Pokémon and visiting PokéStops.

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Honestly, it's beautiful seeing a game bring so many people together IRL. It really says something about how universal Pokémon is.

At a time when there is so much madness happening in the world with all the shootings in the U.S. and terrorism claiming innocent lives across the world, Pokémon Go has become a small beacon to unite people and give everyone a little solace.

Many are happily and proudly embracing the nostalgic feels the game stirs up -- myself included.

I was 10 when I first played Pokémon Blue on my original Game Boy (the 1989 brick, not the smaller Game Boy Color or Game Boy Pocket).

Eighteen years later, the franchise and cuddly mascot Pikachu have proven to have staying power that rivals Disney and Mickey Mouse.

Not just a "kid's game"

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

But even with all the collective outpouring of joy over Pokémon Go, I still see and hear people disparage it for being just a "kid's game" and are embarrassed when they're caught playing it in public.

I've seen people quickly switch to another app when they've been caught playing it. Sure, you were reading that e-book.

On a shoot for a Pokémon Go video that was released on Mashable's Snapchat Discover channel this week, one adult man on the corner of a street kept creepily looking around to make sure the coast was clear for him to catch a Pokémon. Buddy, we were all there. We know there was a Cubone on the corner. No need to pretend like we weren't all playing Pokémon Go.

And on another day, I saw a woman in her mid-30s having a grand smiley time playing Pokémon Go at the supermarket but as soon as she saw me walking by, her smile retracted and she quickly shuffled her phone into her pocket and pretended to be looking for canned black beans. Riiiighhht lady. You were playing Pokémon Go. You caught something awesome! Just embrace it!

Via Giphy

People who never played Pokémon think it's just a "kid's game." They didn't get it then and they still don't get it now. Sure, Pokémon appeals to children, but it is definitely not just a "kid's game."

If you've played the games, you know it's an incredibly deep role-playing game that teaches values beyond just catching monsters and training them up to fight in battle. Catching Pokémon teaches patience and training and using items selectively teaches strategic planning and discipline.

I know because I was fully engrossed through the first and second wave of Pokémon mania between 1998 and 2001.

Because Pokémon is also a highly successful cartoon, people associate and mistake that with being childish.

People see Pokémon being slapped on everything from toys to lunch boxes to pajamas and think "Oh, it's for kids." That's a myopic way of looking at things.

Geeky is mainstream

In the last 30 years, geek culture has become mainstream pop culture. What was once nerdy and geeky is now cool and not just some otaku's guilty pleasure. The "geek living in his parents' basement playing video games" stereotype, while still a thing, is not an accurate representation of geeks anymore because we're all geeks.

Video games are mainstream now just like movies. Superheroes are mainstream. Esports are mainstream. Cartoons and anime are mainstream.

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If you still think Pokémon is just for some select group of fanatic nerds you need to get a reality check.

Geek culture is celebrated today, not shunned. There's no better proof than the overcrowding of people at Comic-cons across the globe, insane box office sales whenever a new Marvel movie comes out and the massive launch parties for AAA video game releases.

All of this acceptance of geek culture only makes it all the more weird when people tell me they're not going to give it a chance because it's a "kid's game" or childish or something stupid.

If you're enjoying the game in public (because that's the only way to enjoy and play it), who cares what others think? There are more important issues to worry about in life than whether someone knows you adore Pikachu or keep failing to catch Charmander.

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