"Pokemon Go: one year later (for me)"

#PokemonGO: I recently passed my personal one-year anniversary playing Pokemon Go (I started about a month late due to an outdated phone), and I just wanted to share some thoughts about the game and this sub. I figure I'll break it down into positives and negatives. For reference, I'm level 36, I live about an hour away from Philly, I'm 26 years old, and I've never spoofed.Positives:1 - I've met a ton of people playing this game. I've made 4 or 5 new close friends over the past year just because we kept seeing each other at local Pokemon hotspots, and I've made a few new battling/drinking buddies since the raid system went live.2 - I've walked WAY more while playing than the app says I did. The distance tracker is a little messed up, so the 640km it says I walked is probably well over 700, possibly 800 or 900. Sure, this might not be great for egg hatching and stardust accumulation, but considering I'm not the type to walk 400 miles for no reason, this is pretty cool in a way.3 - I've gotten closer with my girlfriend and my best friend since this app was released. Part of the reason I started going into "hardcore trainer mode" was that my best friend was dealing with some intense personal/medical issues, and this game gave us a reason to spend time together and work through the stress. It was our escape back in October and November. More recently, my gf and I kill time before/after work doing raids and hitting nests, when we'd normally be zoning out. It's fun.4 - I've been to a ton of new places and seen a lot of cool stuff. Especially considering the distance tracker values straight-line paths over curvy/turning paths. When I play in Philly, I always seem to discover a new historical site or artifact that I never knew existed. When I play in my own rural town, I end up finding a new restaurant or shop that's worth checking out. In the American Northeast, battlefields are plentiful, and I've spun PokeStops at some of the most significant locations of the American Revolution and the Civil War. None of which I'd have ever noticed without Pokemon Go.So now for the negatives:None. Absolutely none. I've been subscribed to this sub since launch (despite not being able to play at first), and I've watched this community get to the point of fiery hatred toward Niantic, and I still have nothing specific to complain about. And I'm playing on a laggy-as-fuck Samsung Galaxy S4 that locks me out of my own email half the time. And neither of the Go+'s I bought work reliably on my phone anymore. But I still love this game. Because...It's a game. On my phone. Sure, I have that nostalgic childhood connection as any 20-something might, and you bet your ass I'm gonna be out there trying to catch a Mewtwo when he gets released internationally. But seriously, even with its imperfections, this game has been nothing but an escape, a time-killer, a motivation to get physical, and (at the worst parts of my depression) a reason to get out of bed and go do... something. Anything.It absolutely kills me to see the hate on this sub sometimes. Sure, Niantic may not be handling real-world events the way you want them to, and their game systems may not be catering to your specific strategy (God knows I need more Stardust than they're giving me right now). But please, everyone, can we chill the fuck out and appreciate the fun we've been having for the past year? PoGo isn't perfect, but if you're still reading this, you obviously still care enough about the game to be on this subreddit and read this post. Can't we just enjoy the fact that we have a few more chances to catch the birdies, and that Mewtwo is finally on his way? Can we just look forward to the moment we first see a Mewtwo, or a Ho-oh, or a Suicune, a Mamoswine, or even a precious Mew show up on our little screens?This game can be devastating and very frustrating if you build your whole life around it, so I don't recommend doing that...please, just let it improve the dullest and most frustrating parts. It's augmented reality, not a replacement.*edited for grammar via /r/pokemongo http://ift.tt/2fHoZJS