On July 6, teens all over the world who’d been inside all summer stepped outside for the first time.
What great phenomenon possessed them to step outside? None other than what had been keeping teens inside all summer — video games.
It turns out Nintendo, a well-known gaming company, released a little surprise for all of us that day. Nintendo released a game entitled Pokémon GO, a game designed to get teens like myself to exercise. In 24 hours, this game had children crawling out from the woodworks in Hamlet and Rockingham. People I had never seen before were suddenly all over town.
Pokémon GO is a game with the intention of finding and catching creatures known as Pokémon that can battle each other to win gyms, or Pokémon training areas. If you’ve noticed anyone in downtown Rockingham or by the train depot in Hamlet that you’ve never seen before, they’re probably playing Pokémon GO.
The goal to be the best and to catch all the Pokémon is on everyone’s mindset. My mother likes to tell everyone with a laugh and a smile on her face how long it took Michelle Obama and her program to get everyone healthy, and Pokémon GO has made everyone healthy in a couple of weeks and made money while doing it.
Annie Blakeley will be attending Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy, is a band and chorus student and a member of First United Methodist Church in Hamlet.