"The Real Life Dangers of Pokemon Go"

#PokemonGO: The hustle and bustle of Easter didn't afford me the opportunity to go out and play, so about 8:00pm I went out to get my daily bonuses, check all the single-spawn-point water biomes for Dratini, and catch a few extra Pokemon.On my way to the nearest Pokestop (I'm rural, so I drive to these spots), I stopped near a local spawn cluster to check the radar. A Stantler and Blastoise was enough reason for a quick detour.The cluster spawns around an abandoned house. Across the street is dilapidated trailer that is not abandoned. It's creepy enough that I stopped a house up from that trailer just so I wouldn't attract attention.I attracted attention.The guy sitting on the front porch saw me, which I didn't worry about. I'm used to this; I make a big show of using my phone, doing the "good driver" act—making it look like I pulled over to answer a text message or check directions. I keep my sole focus on the phone so I don't look like I'm taking too long of a look at the neighborhood (that's another story).Just as a flood light turned on above the front door (that was suspiciously well-aimed in my direction), another guy came out to look menacingly at me. I caught the Stantler and decided that I'd look on the next street over for the Blastoise and drove off past the trailer. The Blastoise didn't show up on the next street so I turned and drove past creepy trailer street and the beat-up pickup truck that was now sitting at the end of it.I passed the pickup, stopped at the next intersection and turned left onto a slightly higher-traffic road, putting myself right back on course before my detour.Maybe I watch too many movies, but I was creeped out enough that I watched in my rear-view mirror which headlights went which direction. Confident that the only ones that came from creepyville drove straight through the intersection, and pushed with a gambler's compulsion to track down that Blastoise, I turned around in a driveway and headed back.There was no intention to drive down that street, which I had already decided was permanently off the regular Pokemon hunt list, but I did drive past it. I don't recall if the pickup was still sitting there.A couple minutes down the street, I turned on the main road that goes through just about every town in the area. I don't know when I realized it, or how, but that pickup was behind me. I considered my options, which were few considering there's nary a street light in this area and several miles in either direction until a stoplight, it's at night, on Easter, with just about everything closed.As I approached another cluster spawn area, I figured I'd find out whether this was coincidence so I pulled into a local mechanic's parking lot. Just as I turned, I realized I couldn't see if the driveway was clear all the way to the exit on the other side of the building. Pulling into a dark, deserted, dead-end out of sight of the main road was not an appealing prospect. I turned back out across the front of the driveway so I had direct access to the road again and stopped. The pickup did the same.Keeping my eyes fixed on the pickup, I feigned another "good driver" act but this time for just about 30 seconds. I considered getting out and holding my phone up and yelling, "I'm just playing a game!" as both explanation and apology to the person I assumed was a cross between Jason Voorhees and Pablo Escobar.Generally I don't want anyone to think I'm an a-hole but I decided that this guy's impression of me was less important than my relentless pursuit of continuing to breathe, so I calmly drove off as if nothing was out of the ordinary. After all, nothing attracts a predator more than running like prey.Either he felt he made his point or I wasn't the prospective burglar/law enforcement he thought I was (hey, I didn't know the guy, so I can't truly know his motivations). He stayed there—it's a long, flat, straight road from there so I was watching until I couldn't see his lights any more.Despite continuing on a modified version of my usual Pokestop/water biome route (spoiler alert: no Dratini, but King's Rock for my 7-day) I was not really interested in actually playing any more. I knew the routes I was taking and the area in general. I made sure to check each car as it passed, stay in areas that had clear and easy entry/exit, and made sure I was not followed. The last thing I wanted was to see this pickup in my driveway later that night. (Luckily, a local cop lives across the street, so that affords me some level of comfort, especially since this was one of the nights he brought his cruiser home.)I'm hoping this guy is just a concerned citizen looking out for the well-being of his neighborhood and that he took down my license plate number to report me to the local police. I'm hoping that a cop car pulls into my driveway and that cop asks me some questions (like that other story).So far no cops, which of course proves that that run-down trailer is the hub of an international ring of ninja assassins which will dispatch me tonight in my sleep.Later today I'll go over and talk to my neighbor the police officer; ask him how his Easter was, how his kids' t-ball season is going, and if he knows if there's a blood-thirsty cult living down the street. He'll laugh at me like he did about that other story (and deservedly so), but it's in my family's best interest to tell someone about this.The problems I have with Pokemon Go aren't inherent to the game—they're inherent to me. While the game has gotten better, I haven't gotten better in the choices I've made about how I play the game.Pokemon Go is on the long list of things I need to reevaluate in my life. I guess this is the "moment of realization" that I needed. fml. tl;dr – Avoid creepy areas, no Pokemon is worth a threat to your safety, inform local authorities of any run-ins you may have had despite your embarrassment, and vary your Pokemon/Pokestop routes like a drug smuggler lest anyone recognize your vehicle becoming too "frequent." via /r/TheSilphRoad http://ift.tt/2nVZM1Q