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Pokémon GO is not only about catching Pokémon, it could also be about catching a potential lover.
Since the throwback app was released, we’ve seen groups of boys and groups of girls with their faces down in their phones. Our main question was, is this game changing relationships for the good or bad?
Jenelle Sims and her husband Dane, who live in Kelowna, have been together for seven years. Until now, they’ve never really had anything in common, other than their daughter Brooklyn, Jenelle said with a laugh.
"We are very opposite. We like different things. We'll be sitting in the living room and he'll be playing a game and I'll be reading a book. We do stuff separately but together. This is probably one of the first things that we actually enjoy together."
Dane downloaded the app as soon as it became available, and he convinced Jenelle to play, too. Since downloading the app, they both can’t get enough. Jenelle joked that she’s on a higher level and more hooked than her husband is.
While Dane plays mostly console games and Jenelle is more of a strategic gamer, she said it’s nice that Pokémon GO makes them go outside.
One of the biggest draws Pokémon GO has is bringing the real world into the virtual world of Pokémon. A "Pokéstop" involves a real-life object, which teaches someone a thing or two about the city they live in… if they look up.
"One day I looked at my husband and I don't even think he looked up from the picture to look up at the actual statue. I was like 'you have to enjoy it in real life, too.' I have mixed feelings with that because some people don't even see it, though they're there,” Jenelle said.
Not only does Jenelle think the game has grown her relationship with her husband, but she thinks it could be a good way to meet other people.
“We were down at Parkinson Rec Centre and we brought my brother-in-law who is not married or dating anyone. It was funny because while we were standing there one of our batteries on our phones were dying. A girl came up and said she had a battery. They hit it off."
Although he didn’t ask for the woman’s number, he did say he should have looking back.
A company cashed in on that possibility of meeting someone through Pokémon Go. Project Fix Up created “PokéDates – Gotta catch 'em all, together! – a dating app available in Canada and the United States.
The app allows people to find a friend, a boyfriend/girlfriend or even a Pokémon gym buddy.
Jenelle thinks Pokémon GO is here to stay if the creators continue to include new characters and options for the game.
Hopefully, it does stay, that way Jenelle and Dane can continue to grow their marriage through catching all the Pokémon together.
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