The Pokemon phenomenon:

Who can argue against being active and enjoying life? Seriousness and sadness abound in our present world. And sedentary lifestyles are responsible for a host of other problems, like obesity and boredom. Nintendo came out with Pokemon Go earlier this month, however, and it has proved to be somewhat of a remedy, but it does not come without concerns.

There's an expression that says, "Kids who hunt, fish and trap don't mug little old ladies." The same may be said, we suppose, of children, adults and everyone in between who play Pokemon. That's a good thing. Getting off the couch and walking more is also a good thing. And of course, taking in the sites of one's community, particularly here in our area, where there are so many places to go and things to see, is wonderful. Furthermore, word on the street is the game has boosted business revenue. All that gaming makes a person hungry, no doubt, and if you find yourself there in your local restaurant parking lot during your Pokemon hunt, you might as well buy something to eat, right?

So we applaud the Pokemon phenomenon. Nintendo managed to capture the hearts -- and bodies -- of a plethora of people with its new app, which Bridget Brown explained in a July 12 Southeast Missourian article.

"People are flocking to local parks, churches, landmarks and a variety of other places throughout the region," she wrote. "It uses real-life locations and encourages players to wander streets and neighborhoods searching for Pokemon characters to capture, so they may be trained for battle at designated 'gyms,'" she added. Andrew Heimsath told her, "I haven't seen children out playing in forever, until now. This game is getting them outside."

However, as another adage asserts, it is possible to have "too much of a good thing." When does it cross that line? Well, some have been so engrossed in their virtual experience that they have fallen off cliffs, walked into traffic and trespassed private property. Also, while no such crimes have been reported in our area, police officers in other locations have reported that some are using the game to lure unsuspecting people into danger.

We want everyone to be safe. So by all means, enjoy this new wave in gaming technology. Get up and move and search; find all the magikarp, Metapods and Eevee you can muster; just don't put yourself in danger or infringe on the rights and property of others as you do so.