"Pokémon Go" is what many people need right now. Don't piss on other people's happiness.

Unless you haven't been paying attention, you know a lot of sad and upsetting incidents have occurred in recent weeks. The Pulse Nightclub shooting. Alton Sterling. Philando Castile. The Dallas Police Officer shootings. The Nice, France attack. The Baton Rouge Police Officer shootings.

I work in the news and I read a lot of sad stories, so I've learned ways to compartmentalize and not become severely depressed. But this past month has hit me particularly hard -- And I wasn't even directly touched by these tragedies. I know countless others are hurting in ways I can't understand.

Something else has happened in recent weeks. The video game Pokémon Go was released!

Unlike traditional video games, Pokémon Go requires players to physically leave their homes and walk around their respective communities in order to find and catch Pokémon. ... So the stereotype that gamers are basement-dwellers who never see the light of day doesn't hold up among Pokémon Go players.

Check out this picture of some players gathered in Anchorage, Alaska:

Thanks to Pokémon Go, people are going outside and socializing with others. Communities are being brought together. People are enjoying nature and whatever their place of residence has to offer them.

People are getting a reason to be happy, have fun and connect with others during a very, very difficult time.

Sounds great, right? WOAH HO HOOOO - Not so fast!!

There are certain people out there who hate the Pokémon Go phenomenon and just need THE WHOLE WORLD to know about it. It's totally CRAZY that GROWN ADULTS are playing this game, they say! People are walking around like ZOMBIES while awful things are happening everywhere! WHY CAN'T THEY STOP PLAYING THE GAME AND BE MAD AND MISERABLE JUST LIKE ME???, the haters ask.

(related -- Woman builds her personality around hatred of popular things, Reductress)

Listen here: just about every hobby out there is arguably pointless -- Unless your hobby happens to be helping old people across the street or feeding people at the homeless shelter.

Collecting records? Pointless. Knitting? Pointless. Horseback riding? Pointless.

You get it.

Doing meth is a bad hobby. Throwing rocks at cars is a bad hobby. Shoplifting is a bad hobby.

Pokémon Go is a perfectly fine hobby.

Why do people feel the need to piss on other people's happiness? I have a good hunch. Putting down other people's hobbies is a good opportunity to grandstand. It's a way of picking up a megaphone and yelling to the world, "HEY EVERYONE! I HATE THIS THING EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING THEREFORE I'M SUPER SMART AND BETTER THAN EVERYONE!!! LOOK AT MEEEEEEE!!!!!"

So, person who is loudly grandstanding, here's a little bit of the attention you so crave:

Also, here's a trophy for not liking Pokémon Go:

If you're one of these passionate Pokémon Go critics, then here's what I suggest: Get a hobby. A stupid, pointless, "real-adults-don't-do-that" hobby. Anything to make you less of an uptight asshole.

And to the Pokémon Go players, keep doing what you love and don't stop. I'm only on level 2 so far and I NEED to catch up.

See you at the local Pokéstop!