Catholiccontriversy on why you shouldn't "just say no to Pokemon Go"

*sighhhhhh* It's articles like this that make it hard to be a conservative gamer.

Hello catholiccontriversy and I like PJMedia; Bill Whittle, Alfonzo Rachel, Steve Green, Scott Ott, Andrew Klavin, it's a great conservative alternative news and political commentary source. However, when articles such as this one, "Parents: Just Say NO to Pokemon Go!," well, it makes it hard to be a gamer with conservative view points. I have basically go on #notallconservatives damage control, explaining to people that are open to hearing "OK while the author doesn't know what (s)he's talking about, there are some legitimate points here, and here is some reasonable explanation of the points." So, let's break this article down.

"[W]ho am I to stand in the way of kids getting out and walking?... Seems harmless, even useful, right? And so I downloaded it. I gave in to the peer pressure from every radio station DJ who said I had to have it... I thought maybe I would let [my kids] use my phone when we were out and about to capture a few Pokemon critters. And shortly after installing it, I came to my senses."
OK let me stop you right there and point out your first mistake that every "videogames are evil" article always does. They don't do the research before they buy. Every complaint you are about to give could have been explained through a little research. Most of it is probably available right there in the app store. GTA, Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat, etc. are not the problem, it's parents who don't do their research. My parents never had a problem with any of the games they got me as a kid, because they did their research. But I digress, let's continue.

"The app wants total control over my camera, my video, my GPS, my Google
account, my emails, my photos, my soul and God knows what else." Well yeah, it's an augmented reality game that is based on your location. Google maps has access to all your stuff too. I also went to the google play store to do a little research for you. It tells you there what information and access it requires.

"Not only are we laying bare our every move to who knows who, it is every pedophile's dream come true." I don't have a smart phone so I don't know exactly how the app works, but I'm pretty sure all the information goes to Nintendo's humanless computer and no other people, especially random pedos, can track you. Nintendo took away chatrooms without location because they were concerned about safety. I HIGHLY doubt Nintendo would let users track other users.

"Already teens are being lured into abandoned parking lots where they are then robbed." And it's also luring people into the Israel prime minister's office. It's all random; no one has any control over where the Pokemon are. Should gun companies be held responsible for someone not locking their gun up? I thought so, same thing.

"Other outlets are reporting zombie-like people, not paying attention to anything but their phones, wandering onto private property without realizing it, blocking driveways and scaring people."
See previous point. Nintendo can't be held accountable for stupid people being stupid.

"Kids...should be spending their days up trees"
my cousin almost suffered severe brain damage from falling out of a tree.

"[A]nd at the beach"
Yeah kids in bathing suits in front of strangers, what did you say about pedos?

"[A]nd hiking in the woods"
Lost in the woods, snakes, wolves, bears, uneven trails resulting in crippling falls, etc.

"Now, the newest electronic craze seems sure to send your child directly into harm's way."
Like the activities you described are any safer. I'm not saying "traditional summer fun" is inherently bad, but neither is Pokemon Go.

"What happened to limiting screen time as much as possible? It's not good for human brains! Study after study shows this is true. Electronics interfere with sleep cycles, are connected to depression, and contribute to the general malaise plaguing children who can't seem to get off the couch."
I think the problem is more "correlation" (X and Y are very similar) and not "causation" (X causes Y). While I'm not outright saying videogames and "screen time" don't contribute to any of those things, they aren't the exact cause. For example, I spend a lot of time in front of screens, for both my job and hobby. I've found that I have trouble falling asleep due to stimulation and thoughts. This COULD be because I read/watched something interesting/exciting online, or because I had a great idea in the shower or I had a homework problem I just couldn't solve (after vigorously reading my physical paper book and notes, working out equations on my paper notebook). Similarly, I've also found it easy to fall asleep after reading/watching something relaxing online, or on TV. I'm not saying that the backlights of LCD screens don't biologically accelerate the thought process, but it's not cut and dry.
But before I move on, I want to address the "connected to depression" and "contribute to the general malaise" statement. I know a guy who had "general malaise" and possibly "depression" as a kid, because of bullying and general school trouble, and videogames were how he coped with his troubles. Later, he met all his friends through a mutual love of videogames and anime. Strange, the hobby that should have "caused all those problems" actually helped him deal with those problems.

"Now, the newest electronic craze seems sure to send your child directly into harm's way."
No it isn't. Nintendo has no control over where the pokemon appear. Nintendo just wants to bring the world of Pokemon to life in the most realistic way possible. If you don't tell your kids to not play in the street, or in dark alleys, and that the game is just pretend so don't be stupid, that's your fault as a parent.

"If you still think Pokemon is a must have for this summer, think again."
For the millions of people who have been playing Pokemon for 20 years, and dreamed about actually going out in the world to catch Pokemon, yes it is. I don't have a smart phone, but once I do I will definitely be getting Pokemon Go! and will be playing it responsibly, because believe it or not, Nintendo ACTUALLY doesn't want to hurt it's customers.

"Do your kids a favor and give them a 1985-style summer. Drink out of the
hose,"
Flint Water,

"ride your bike just for the pleasure of the wind in your face,"
a friend in middle school almost died from a bike accident

"and leave the phones at home."
So now if something bad does happen they can't reach you

I understand where you are coming from. Parents should not "let the screen babysit their kids." However this article is no better than "the scary black rifle killed 49 gay men." Next time do a little research before you blanket statement "videogames are evil."

Now since this was posted on a conservative media portal, whose contributors are trying to provide a counter narrative to leftist ideologies, I'm going to let you in on a little secret; gamers are fighting back against the left, especially feminism. It's just a hobby; a hobby that doesn't like being told what to do and what to say. Gamers and geeks hold many conservative principles (freedom of speech, freedom of expression, personal responsibility, anti-censorship, etc.), but it's articles like this that keep them from even considering the "conservative" label. Bill Whittle gets it, Andrew Klavin gets it, Milo Yianoppolis gets it, Steven Crowder gets it, why don't you? If anyone shows me this article talking about "how stupid are these people? It's just a game, it's not evil." I'll probably probably have to say "OK, but there have been people that were REALLY stupid with Pokemon Go! Since kids don't fully understand the real world, parents do need to be cautious with how their kids are using it."

It's the user, not the tool. Just like "guns don't kill people, people kill people;" "Pokemon Go! doesn't make you do stupid things, stupid people will find a way to be stupid." Well, this has been Catholiccontriversy, signing off, and bu-bye.