Life

You Can Now Block "Pokemon Go" From Your Internet

It's pretty much impossible to avoid "Pokemon Go", as the app has made a huge splash with seemingly everyone with a phone since its release. But if you're someone who isn't trying to catch all the Pokemon, you might be wondering if there's a way to just get all that stuff off your newsfeed — which is where the Google Chrome extension "PokeGone" comes in. It scrubs any and all "Pokemon Go" content from your browser, ensuring that you can finally escape all those Pikachus, Charmanders, and Squirtles. At last! Peace and Pokemon-free quiet!

Apps that remove words and phrases from the internet or swap them out in favor of something else are nothing new; in the past, we've seen one that blocks Donald Trump (indeed, "PokeGone" was actually inspired by TrumpFilter), one that replaces "Millennials" with "snake people," and one that turns "refugees" into "humans." As you can see from the wide variety of options available, these kinds of browser extensions can be funny or serious, and there's seemingly one for just about everything. As such, it's perhaps not surprising that one for "Pokemon Go" has popped up; after all, it's gotten extremely pervasive, even though the game has only been out for a few days.

If you aren't familiar with what "Pokemon Go" actually is, fear not! The concept is pretty simple to pick up on, even if you never played Pokemon as a kid. "Pokemon Go" is an augmented reality game that allows you to "find" Pokemon in the real world and "catch" them. The app uses your phone's GPS capabilities to provide a map of your actual area; it functions in real time, so you can catch a Pokemon outside your favorite coffee shop, place of employment, subway station, etc. Pretty cool, especially if you were a '90s kid, right?

That said, it's certainly not for everyone, and that's OK! You also may not want updates about what your friends are doing in the game clogging your feed; that's totally valid. If that's the case, you may want to check out how to install the PokeGone extension to your web browser.

Installing the PokeGone Chrome Extension is pretty easy. The extension is free and accessible on the Google Chrome webstore. Simply sign into your Gmail account and "add" the PokeGone extension to your web browser, and you should be all set! Fair warning: According to the reviews, the extension has been a little buggy; I've actually had some trouble downloading it, butI'll be checking back for progress. Admittedly I also don't think it's the worst thing in the world to have to scrollby content about "Pokemon Go," but I can understand how it might b frustrating if you're used to your internet time being focused on other topics.

No matter your reason, if you're feeling overwhelmed by the onslaught of "Pokemon Go" information in your internet browsing, you might want to give the Pokemon Gone extension a shot. After all, given the huge positive reaction to "Pokemon Go," it doesn't look the app will be going anywhere soon.

Image: Giphy