Here’s a new game to play: Pokemon Go (Away)

I didn’t know there was a new Pokemon game for smartphones until last week, and I’m already sick of it. It’s the number one free app on in the Apple's App Store.

For those who don’t know, the new Pokemon app uses the phone’s built in GPS to tell the player where various Pokemons (Pokemen?) are in the physical world. It’s like geo-caching for Pokemon. On the plus side, all three of my teenage children have been walking around the neighborhood in search of the little monsters, so it’s getting them out of the house and forcing them to move. On the down side, it’s all anybody’s talking about. I was at the dentist this morning and the hygienist (who had to be at least 30) was talking about how many points she accumulated over the weekend.

People’s Facebook feeds are cluttered with “news” about which Pokestop yielded the most Pokemon. There is even a warning to parents that has gone viral about people being lured to Pokestops by villains who then rob them. There was a case in O’Fallon, MO of a guy who was robbed at a Pokestop, but he claims it had nothing to do with Pokemon.

Now I know how people who don’t play fantasy football feel around those of us who do. I’m hoping this craze goes away soon and the internet can get back to adorable cat videos.