This article is very short but here it is- the Pokemon article creating a stir:
https://inews.co.uk/opinion/pokemon-go-not-invitation-talk-street/
There are a few issues with this article as it’s more of a vent and therefore doesn’t really express the author’s, Vinter, concerns as adequately as they could have been expressed, but she does raise important concerns that women- especially young women- have while wandering the world alone (or even with people).
What men fail to grasp and empathize with while complaining about her callous and unwelcoming treatment of fellow male players, is that women are often approached on the street regardless of their activities despite their better wishes. The whole idea of street harassment is that “headphones are not an invitation; my book is not an invitation…” yet that non invitation is ignored. Women are not afforded the same level of respect for personal space that men are afforded and therefore uninvited or unwanted attention from men is stressful. That’s what Vinter is seemingly discussing without mentioning it directly.
The unfortunate side effect of a culture that doesn’t value women’s personal space, that feels women should be open and available to inquiry especially that of men, and that women should be receptive and even pleased at such attention is that when a game like Pokemon Go comes out and people are genuinely stoked to find other players and want to connect, there’s distrust.
The same distrust and apprehension while playing applies to black PG players telling each other to stay safe and travel together, avoid locations at night etc. And the same distrust of others in real life (not augmented reality) for different reasons unrelated to race as the author is white- a hopefully obvious distinction- is seemingly what Vinter is discussing regarding male attention while hunting Pokémon.
It’s challenging to imagine that players might have real world concerns when we are discussing a benign and happy game, but that’s the unfortunate reality that can’t be augmented by Pokemon no matter how much we want it to be. It’s also the unfortunate side effect of not taking seriously these concerns until they arise in a context we’d rather not have them in.
While in my personal opinion her article wasn’t that compelling because of its brevity and therefore generality, I understand and relate to her concerns. As someone- a woman- who has been approached despite being busy (even on the phone) and made to feel unsafe even when others might consider that I’m just being complimented or not see my concerns, I see what she is saying. In many ways she shouldn’t have to explain herself but in others, when writing, the more concise you are the better you’re able to convey your point and affect the reader positively. Regardless, male Pokemon Go players, please be mindful of what women face and why they might react as such to your unsolicited interactions. Women, stay safe and catch ’em all!
sarahmascarah 
Posted on July 18, 2016
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