In the gaming world, big news doesn’t normally make mainstream radar. Pokemon Go is a huge exception. Pokemon Go is an electronic game played on handheld devices, mainly mobile phones. It’s a game that uses your device’s camera to meld travel in mundane reality with catching virtual monsters as they appear on your screen. The real life element is highly engaging, but it’s the blend of fantasy and reality that holds the interest. Remind you of any astrological trends in the collective?
How about Sagittarius Saturn square Pisces Neptune? Sadge Saturn is adventures in realism while Neptune in its own sign is high fantasy. Their tension creates a battlefield where reality and fantasy battle it out – outside the comfort zone of either cause.
The main detail that pushed the popularity of Pokemon Go into such high gear is the nostalgia factor for cultural trends of the nineties. I was an adult and a parent at the time, but even I had my own set of Pokemon cards. Why? Because I had kids and their enthusiasm was contagious. I wasn’t that into it beyond entry level stuff. While I love the idea of gaming, the time investment makes it less compelling for me personally. But this time? It’s different.
It catches nostalgia up with the current ease of technology. This also hit when a lot of planets were coming in and out of aspect (hard and easy aspects) with Uranus. Most notably, slow moving Mars in Scorpio quincunxed Uranus. Something new. Try something new and out there! There’s fighting in this game – power and destruction. There are teams. It takes place in on a local level, but it’s all interconnected through the ethers of electronics.
Here’s another factor: It gets me out of the house and provides tangible rewards for doing so. It also spurs social interaction and gives people something to rally around. It’s helped my depression immensely, and it’s so simple. It’s the extra reason to leave the house, to run the errand, to take the kids somewhere together. It’s helping, and I hear that from others as well.
My son was the one who was big into Pokemon first. He is so sweet and passionate! Cancer boy with Pluto Moon rising in Scorpio! My younger kids caught his passion for gaming as they grew, just like their brother. We all had Nintendo DS and the kids upgraded with each new iteration, but Pokemon were always around somewhere. Now the younger two and I go out and play Pokemon Go together – just at the time of life (16 and 19) when they’re losing interest in my company. There’s a resurgence of interest in doing things with ME!
With popularity comes backlash. If you’re not someone who is naturally interested in such things, you have a choice. You can just be really pleased that many people enjoy something. You can learn about it and get involved in their passion. You can also be shitful about it. People may not even know why they feel negativity toward someone else’s joy, but it does reflect the re-emerging Virgo Jupiter to Pisces Chiron opposition.
Big criticism or inflated interest… exploring a game, getting out and about and out of a rut, expanded communications, Sadge Jupiter.
Reminders of the past filter into consciousness, elevated or demonized – joy and pain, sometimes mixed but learning, Pisces Chiron.
Oppositions are quite prone to projection: Your excitement about something hurts me. But why? Individually there’s no way to know specifically why. However, one answer is that it unearths one’s own lack of excitement and grounded joy. It represents the push and pull of mental health as well as exploration and learning. Growth and resistance, intellectualized or felt too deeply for words – these things are all in play and regardless of whether or not you enjoy the process, there’s tension.
My son is one of those who has chosen to be cantankerous and shitful about it. I tread lightly there and believe in him. He is periodically unhappy and struggling. Sometimes anger and judgement are a step up from numbness and loneliness. He’s engaging with the world when he shits all over Pokemon Go. What you gonna do? You counter with a higher kind of love. People are where they are. He’s not up on the clocktower with a high-powered rifle shouting, “You made me play second base!” So I have faith he will work it out (Saturn and Neptune again).
Love what you love! Enjoy yourself and your passions, and if you can, have compassion for those who for whatever reason are unable to do so.
“I came in like a Pokeball! All I wanted was to catch ’em all!”
Are you playing Pokemon Go? If not, what are YOU passionate about; what do YOU enjoy?
I love it!!!! It’s the first video game I’ve played since Atari. I just really like that it gets you up and out of the house. I didn’t know anything about the Pokemon of the 90’s and still don’t really understand anything about the characters, but it doesn’t seem like I need to? It’s fun/ny going out and seeing people playing who don’t want anyone to know they’re playing but also most people here are cool, nice and helpful. It was also rather scary and creepy one night, we went out to the Santa Monica Pier (where there are about 20 Pokestops) and noticed there was in INSANE amount of people, but then slowly I realized that 90% of them were looking down at their phones. It was definitely a sheeple moment.
I miss Atari tanks! its been 40 years but I still remember the sound Atari made when dealing blackjack.
My youngest and I hung out in the alley behind the closed bowling alley at midnight on a Thursday. It sounds more unsavory than it actually is… small town summer nights and all. We even saw other teens, not skulking or scary at all.
I agree. I play Pokemon Go with my adult daughter who grew up with the original cards. Its fun and gets people out and interactive. My neighborhood has a FB page. I’m the only silver hair in the bunch. Haha. I love it and am frustrated with all the stick-in-the-muds looking down their noses at those who are having a blast.
I’m out there with my silver hair! “Here, jog my phone while I drive 11 mph.” I walk, but hey, I’m not wasting the mileage either.
Lol. My feet hurt. Those eggs are going to have to sit in the incubator for awhile!
Fascinating analysis!
I was totally obsessed with Pokemon as a kid. I have an iPhone now and I tried to download Pokemon Go but it wouldn’t allow me past the loading screen…tried a few times. Figure it’s not meant to be. I have seen hordes of people out playing and it looked like a zombie apocalypse, but the trend may die down before too long.
Currently I’m more of a TV show addict. Watching season 4 of Wentworth now…so good!
I somehow manage to do both (still grieving over finishing Stranger Things)! and thank you!
It’s a cute game. I think people who feel their pathway to joy is blocked often hate being around those who have an open road to it. I once took a writing class with a guy whose expression of dazed happiness while the teacher spoke was so irritating I wanted to punch him in the mouth. Later I realized I was jealous of how much pleasure he could find in what I found so tedious.
I have had these impulses… self awareness is THE BEST. when I can. 🙂
I’m going to be honest, in a diplomatic way, writing this. I grew up with people with BIG EGOS. Some people like big egos, I get it, they like the challenge, the adventure. But these people, who were mostly family, would sneer, jeer, or mock, me, if I conformed in any way. They would even emotionally bully, or abuse me/you, if you didn’t join in with their ‘non-conforming’ ways. These people were the rebellious, anti-anti-anti types.
Seems innocent, right? They’re just being themselves, and expressing their individuality. But then, they would use underhanded, passive-aggressive, ways, to lure me into doing what they wanted. Manipulative as hell, and blocking me, from doing things I wanted to do.
I don’t mind people even hating Pokémon Go, just to be different, or just to say simply, a f**k you, to the world, or a f**k you, to conformity. But I’ll admit, my family gave me a bad impression of rebellious types, as I grew up. I just saw them as ungrateful, domineering, selfish, attention getting, narcissistic, etc, etc.
Then I went into town, and learned that my family members weren’t very good people. Not all non-conforming people are like this. Most won’t even mind if you ‘conform,’ or whatever. This adventures downtown changed my view forever. I no longer saw people who were ‘different’ as evil, LOL.
But if any of you knew my family, you would understand why I grew up to hate non-conformist types until I was about eighteen years old. It’s possible narcissism was/is genetic, in my family, and it somehow skipped me. I know not all/most non-conforming types are narcissistic, but my family members showed all the signs, of narcissists. The irony was that my family saw people who conformed as evil. I didn’t even think of it as ‘conforming’, I just like a movie, or a game, because I liked them. I didn’t care that they were popular.
well put! compassion should never excuse abuse – and what you experienced sounds abusive. I’m pretty convinced of narcissism being at least partially nurture, even if there is a degree of genetics to it. ignoring who someone IS in favor of forcing them into a false self is how I think this is triggered. I say triggered because some people are able to avoid becoming narcissists even when this has happened to them.
Yes, funny thing too. When I came out as gay to my family. They thought I wasn’t ‘gay’ enough, hahaha. Funny and sad at the same time. They thought that I should dye my hair purple, grow a mohawk, and start smoking. If I didn’t, I was ‘too conventional’. I’m laughing as I write this. But yeah, manipulation and toxic traits, in most of my family members.
that is perfectly illustrative of the pitfalls of labels versus the model of just organically being who you are. congratulations on being the real rebel and making it out alive!
TY!
“Ignoring who someone IS in favor of forcing them into a false self…” This happened to my mother who then did it to me. Nurture or lack thereof definitely factors in as a trigger.
I always wonder what is the magic X factor for slipping out of that noose… and good job for doing just that!
This is an amazing post! Thanks for the perspective. I was neither parent nor kid during Pokemon craze. Nice to see it’s getting families together.
Thank you for illustrating such a loving response to other people’s enjoyment! It’s one thing to notice when someone criticizes, but I’m trying to make sure I appreciate all the times people are wonderful too.
It’s so nice that this is bringing you and your kiddos together and helping with your depression. I’m not participating in Pokemon Go (maybe I should?), but my 17-yo transgender kiddo and I are bonding through Hastings going out of business and having crazy sales on books and movies. We go out to a different store about every other day and buy up things we couldn’t before at awesome discounts. Then we come home, clean up our purchases with Lysol wipes (we both have Virgo), check out what the other person bought and high-five.
I have no issue with PG, but stuff like that was never my thing. If it gets people off the couch, out of the house and having fun, what in the world is wrong with that? We haven’t had anything like it that incorporates this level of accessible technology ever! Yay for everyone involved.
my youngest and I were out again last night when I saw this comment. I showed it to him and were all WOAAAH. 😀 he is also trans and we are planning to get over to the Hastings sale when I get my act together! It’s funny, because I was thinking of Hastings when I wrote this… that’s where we bought all our Pokemon cards and whatsits back in the day!
Mommish remark: “…Cancer boy with Pluto Moon rising in Scorpio…” so, seems like, he’s not yet finished chewing up his mother – hang in there (many, many people value you!) Satori!
thank you, Poppy! <3
Another great post, Satori! I don’t know much about this phenomenon (I don’t have an IPhone – 3rd House Taurus, “stalwart communicator”) but thanks for discussing it in astrological terms. Makes perfect sense.
things like this help me rationalize the huge cost of my device! it’s great to find something in the public eye that works so well to illustrate several influences at once.
I don’t trust Pokemon go it tracks your location
My husband is playing the game because he is a gamer and so am I. I love Pokemon Go. My husband took some photos of the Pokemon at the doctor’s office while he was sitting waiting for me to come out from my appointment. He caught a pidgy sitting perched on a chair. Lol! I play his game at times and once while in the car, I caught a wheedle.
This game actually gets people out walking and having fun. Thank you for this article. :o}
Wow hmm perspective, well written post Satori! I don’t play but now, I see more of why it would be fun. I only hope folks continue communicating and “connecting” with us non-players every once in a while hehe 🙂 I’ve refrained from playing cause I’m one of those who would trip and fall into a ditch, if I got into it 😛 but I get it, it sounds like a neat experience :]