[Chat] From Pokemon GO to Dragon Quest Walk

When I was working at a company, I used to drive my child to the nursery school, but since I became a stay-at-home dad, I have started taking them there on foot.

The main reason was that I could no longer use the company car, but since my child also wanted to walk, I've been doing it to help get some exercise as well.

It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to walk from our house to the nursery school, which is a distance of just under 1 km.

The round trip is just the right distance for me.

I talk with my child while walking to the nursery school, but on the way back, I am on my own.

Thinking it was a waste to just walk, I started a routine of walking back while playing "Pokemon GO," which I had downloaded when it first came out but had left untouched.

However, I found it difficult to operate the game while walking to catch Pokemon, so I would repeatedly stop to catch them and then start walking again until I got home.

It took me twice as long to get home as it did to walk to the nursery school with my child.

I was taking about 30 minutes to walk a 15-minute route.

It was taking too much time, and considering the physical exertion of the walk, I felt like I wasn't really getting any exercise, so I switched to walking home while playing "Dragon Quest Walk," which I had also left untouched like "Pokemon GO."

What's great about "Dragon Quest Walk" is that it has a "Walk Mode" where it automatically fights enemies and earns experience points just by walking.

Thanks to this feature, I can walk briskly all the way home without having to stop at all.

I can walk faster than I do when I'm with my child, so even if I take a slightly longer route home, I can get back in less than 15 minutes.

It has become a small pleasure of mine to see how much experience I've earned once I get home.

Also, since switching to Dragon Quest Walk, I've stopped focusing on the game while walking, so I've become more aware of my surroundings.

I've been making little discoveries here and there, like noticing a shop I hadn't seen before or seeing that a vacant lot has appeared without me realizing it.

I do the same thing when I head to the nursery school for pickup in the evening.

In reality, it might be better to spend this time listening to books on Audible or listening to useful business information on YouTube, but I choose to play a game.

For that reason, it looks like my "Dragon Quest Walk" strolls will continue for a while.

The end.