![\"download\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/download.jpeg?resize=300%2C168\")
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How many posts on Facebook and memes all over social media have you seen this week that start out something like; “If you play Pokemon Go, you are…” followed by words like stupid, out of touch, childish, have your head up your ass, are ignoring the horrors of the world, should be doing something more valuable with your time, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.<\/p>\n
Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera… let’s find new ways to look down on one another, blah, blah blah. UGH. OVER IT.<\/p>\n
![\"Screen](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Screen-Shot-2016-07-17-at-4.06.30-PM.png?resize=246%2C300\")
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I keep talking about this stuff on my Facebook page even though it feels like I’m beating a dead a horse at this point, because I\u00a0continue to see\u00a0so many hateful posts about how anyone who plays this game is basically a complete loser who has no idea what is going on in the world. Hateful messages that insinuate anyone who plays games is foolish and is acting like a child.<\/p>\n
Engaging in play as an adult is healthy. Necessary, even. As stated by\u00a0Scott G. Eberle, Ph.D,\u201cWe don\u2019t lose the need for novelty and pleasure as we grow up\u201d. \u00a0We continue to need this exercise in frivolity as we carry on adult lives for many reasons. \u00a0Play is largely discounted and\u00a0discredited\u00a0as a waste of time, but studies suggest this is far from the truth.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Engaging in any kind of play allows the brain and body to reset itself, realign itself to important, core values by letting go of anxiety, forgetting about pain and the pressures of adult life. Psychiatrist Stuart Brown, MD, the founder of the National Institute for Play, has\u00a0discovered and written\u00a0connections\u00a0between violent, criminal behavior and lack of play in adults. \u00a0He\u00a0even goes so far as to compare adult play to our need for oxygen, saying\u00a0\u201c\u2026it\u2019s all around us, yet goes mostly unnoticed or unappreciated until it is missing\u201d. He also points out that play can instill deep connections with others and create lasting, powerful relationships.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Companies who value their employee’s mental health know how valuable play can be. They\u00a0offer vacation time, break time and often offer recreational pastimes at work such as exercise rooms, game rooms, beautiful outdoor campuses for walking, reflecting and recharging to fill this need. Our need for play is simply a part of who we are as humans. It’s why we go to Disneyland. It’s why some of us love sports. It’s why some prefer to crack open a beer and sit by a river or leave their phones off for a day while they do nothing but read sci-fi novels and others choose to exercise. \u00a0For some, it’s why we play video games, role play, read comics, watch movies and play Pokemon Go.<\/span><\/p>\n Patch Adams would be disappointed\u00a0in anyone\u00a0shunning the value of adult play. \u00a0He understood how play restores our spirits and brings joy, connection, peace and an ability to see more than the problems of this life. \u00a0Play allows us to experience joy even while we travel through the darkest places and often, we get to travel with others who want to play with us. \u00a0Play can be healing. \u00a0It can be restorative. \u00a0He, better than most, understood this and fought for dying patient’s abilities to be allowed to play because it can help heal in ways medicine cannot and if you have to choose between a pill or an hour playing a game, the game is ALWAYS going to be the better choice.<\/span><\/p>\n See, self preservation takes many forms and one of those forms is play. \u00a0Each person’s self-preservation may look a little different, but it all has value, all have merit and each of us deserves to engage in whatever form of play it takes for us to achieve that restorative experience.<\/span><\/p>\n Remember, to step back and just play a game for a while does not mean we do not see the terrible things going on or that we don’t care about them.<\/span><\/p>\n Sometimes, for the sake of your own heart and spirit, you just have to stop, step away, and say;<\/span><\/p>\n “Not today. Today I will play Pokemon Go, take a walk through a castle in Anaheim, turn my phone off and play in the ocean\u00a0or just sit at home and watch cartoons with my kids.’ \u00a0It’s okay to say, “for today, for this hour, for this minute, I will allow myself to believe that the rest of the world is as beautiful as this easy moment and I will enjoy passing this level as much as I enjoyed a thousand other, awesome experiences in my life, so that tomorrow I may once again put on the warrior’s face and tackle these hard issues, these world-wide crisis’ and the chaos all around us.”<\/span><\/p>\n I still see the horrors. They still infuriate me. \u00a0They hurt my heart and affect my world and I will still do what I can to help, but occasionally, a little respite from the darkness in the form of a video game should be allowed without judgement from my peers. Playing games relieves my anxiety and pulls me out of panic attacks. \u00a0Playing can lift my mind out of the chaos and give me something else to focus on, something that I can control, to relieve stress and fight fear. \u00a0I often come away from playing with a renewed sense of purpose and a clarity to tackle my problems with a clearer head.\u00a0Whether I am crushing candy, searching for Pokemon or fighting the Joker, I should NOT have to battle my own anxiety AND your judgement at the same time. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Playing games does not make me a bad person, an uncaring person, a blind or stupid person and I most certainly do not have my head up my ass.<\/span><\/p>\n I know these world issues deeply impact each of us and for some, they are so close to our\u00a0hearts that sometimes it can be hard to understand how anyone would be willing to do ANYthing else.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Guys, please know that I see you and your urgency and I honor that voice within you. \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n Stop for a moment and consider what you consider “play” in your own life. Do you have girl’s night at the bar? Do you binge watch a favorite TV show? Do you have passes to a theme park or frequent public parks and hike, fish or waterski? \u00a0Do you paint, make jewelry, or decorate your house for holidays? Do you attend concerts and indulge in fancy drinks or play with make-up or own pets? \u00a0All of this is considered play. \u00a0All of this is valuable, JUST as valuable as playing a game online, on their phone or in their living room.<\/p>\n We are not that different. \u00a0Please stop building a wall\u00a0where there is no need just because you don’t understand. \u00a0We won’t judge you for your hobbies, don’t judge us for ours. \u00a0I’m not saying you have to play, I’m not even saying you have to like it – you just have to respect that something you don’t like is something I value and leave the judgment behind. \u00a0It’s called compassion, respect and understanding and those are the things our world desperately needs more of right now above ANYthing else. \u00a0You want to help the world? \u00a0Start with yourself by accepting other’s love for the things they enjoy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How many posts on Facebook and memes all over social media have you seen this week that start out something like; “If you play Pokemon Go, you are…” followed by words like stupid, out of touch, childish, have your head up your ass, are ignoring the horrors of the world, should be doing something more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4,9,14],"tags":[439,437,440,435,436,438],"class_list":["post-13112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-and-reviews","category-lessons-from-the-mother-ship","category-news","tag-hobbies","tag-i-hate-pokemon-go","tag-judgement","tag-pokemon-go","tag-pokemon-go-haters","tag-video-games"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1opIU-3pu","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4918,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/deadpool-announcement-and-trailer\/","url_meta":{"origin":13112,"position":0},"title":"DEADPOOL Announcement and Trailer","author":"Forbidden Panel","date":"July 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"July 18, 2012 By Andrea Emmes, I ANNOUNCE ME...(wait, no. how about...)\u00a0WE ANNOUNCE ME...(but they don't know who 'we' are)\u00a0(okay then, maybe...)\u00a0DEADPOOL\u00a0ANNOUNCES\u00a0DEADPOOL!!!\u00a0(well, that's just silly) \u00a0 I, DEADPOOL, Reveal That I'm Making My Own Butt-Kicking DEADPOOL Video Game, slated for 2013!!! \u00a0 Hey suits, listen up 'cause I've got some\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/ATVI_Deadpool_Concept-Art_Announcement-300x184.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":18706,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/the-dr-is-in-aj-side-panel\/","url_meta":{"origin":13112,"position":1},"title":"The Dr. Is In. -AJ Side Panel","author":"AJ","date":"February 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello all. I am going to start posting some stories I have written over the years here in between my Lunch Break posts. I'm hoping to be consistent but if I'm not, please complain until I am. I wrote this story after leaving a particularly heated Therapist appointment. 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Nominated games must have been commercially released to the public before November 24, 2016. To understand more about the nomination process, voting publications and rules, please see the \u201cRules\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AJ's Side Panel"","block_context":{"text":"AJ's Side Panel","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/ajs-side-panel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/uncharted-4-tops-game-award-nominees-696x464.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/uncharted-4-tops-game-award-nominees-696x464.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/uncharted-4-tops-game-award-nominees-696x464.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13216,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/adventures-at-san-diego-comic-con-2016-days-2-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":13112,"position":3},"title":"Adventures at San Diego Comic-Con 2016 Days 2-3","author":"Andrea LaBartunek","date":"July 24, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Day 2 started out much the same as day one. We headed over to the San Diego Convention Center early, playing Pokemon Go along the way. Friday's crowds were bigger than Thursday, yet more organized than previous years. As we were walking along the marina side of the convention center,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comic Con"","block_context":{"text":"Comic Con","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/comic-con\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/image-70-e1469824621425.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/image-70-e1469824621425.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/image-70-e1469824621425.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/image-70-e1469824621425.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12622,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/calamity-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":13112,"position":4},"title":"Calamity Review","author":"Forbidden Panel","date":"March 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The final novel in the Reckoners series brings us into a time of chaos and conflict for our primary protagonist. Despite being the man who kills Epics, David Charleston is in a position that he never planned for and never prepared for. He has set himself his biggest target yet,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Messages From The Aether"","block_context":{"text":"Messages From The Aether","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/messages-from-the-aether\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"1331103352840321684","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/aethertoinkwell.dyndns-ip.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/1331103352840321684-300x169.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15375,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/why-star-wars\/","url_meta":{"origin":13112,"position":5},"title":"Why Star Wars?","author":"Janelle","date":"December 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been asked, more than a few times over the last decade; \"why Star Wars?\" from people who just don't get it. They either never saw the films at all, or did see them, under duress, and continued to hate them out of spite and a sense of superior bitterness.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Screen-Shot-2017-12-19-at-12.28.13-PM-280x300.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13112"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13122,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13112\/revisions\/13122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Screen](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Screen-Shot-2016-07-17-at-4.02.45-PM.png?resize=300%2C226\")
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