Pokémon Go and the Death of Reality

When funeral homes start offering discounts for people who die because of a mobile game, we know there’s a problem with our society 

I spent the past weekend indoors not because the temperature was too hot outside but because after weeks of delay the game Pokémon Go had been released in Taiwan. I already knew that, come Monday, I would have to confront this new — dare I call it reality? — on my way to the office and wanted to delay that confrontation for as long as possible. 

Still, Pokémon succeeded in invading the peace of my home not because I was looking for the virtual critters inside my apartment (I didn’t and never will), but because the game craze had invaded the news. Every local channel had segments on players hunting the virtual critters in parks, streets, and famous landmarks around the nation. Some night footage of perambulating hordes of Pokémon addicts was oddly reminiscent of B-rated zombie movies.

My op-ed, published today in The News Lens International, continues here.