Pokemon Go

[MintJulie]

I complained yesterday about almost hitting a little boy on my drive to work.   When I arrived at work, one of my coworkers said the child was likely playing Pokemon Go.

Okay, this is crazy.   My niece started playing.   On returning home from work, my niece was jumping up and down begging to got out Pocke hunting.  

After dinner, instead of going on a run, I took her out with her fathers fully charged iphone.    We walked and she started getting little creatures.   It was neat.   A little character appeared on the phones screen but the camera was picking up the real world.   She would flick little power balls at it and then it would encase the little pockemon.

Then she said, we need to go to the park, because she was running low on power balls.   When we hit the main street, we headed toward the park.   Walking towards us were 3 kids all looking at their phones.    "They're playing too," my niece said.

We got to the park and there were more people.   I knew a women who had her 2 kids and a friend with her.    She said it's great and getting the kids out of the house and active.   They had walked 4 miles this evening.    My niece and I walked 3 and visited a couple of local churches to get more pockeballs.    

I counted 30 people out walking and playing.   We also saw numerous people playing while driving up to the locations we visited.

I was reading that Nintendo has added $7.5 billion to it's market value in the past 2 days because of stock surge.   People are getting out and excercising.   The Detroit Zoo, a pockie hotspot, had 30% higher attendance the past two days.  

It's just crazy.   My niece is whipped and went to bed 1/2 hour early tonight.

[insatiable]

And then there are people who go to Holocaust Museum to hunt pokeballs. And lots of other sensitive places. I don't blame these kids, but Nintendo and kid's wards can they be just a bit more responsible towards surroundings.

[watcher1]

In Phoenix, AZ the Pokémon App sends people to a large apartment building where there are 87 known sex offenders residing.  Another thing parents need to worry about with their children.

[Well Behaved Lady]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/10/pokemon-go-armed-robbers-dead-body

Pokémon Go: armed robbers use mobile game to lure players into trap

Missouri suspects used app’s geolocation feature to target ‘unwitting victims’, says police after another incident saw game lead player to dead body

Armed robbers used the game Pokémon Go to lure victims to an isolated trap in Missouri, police reported on Sunday.

At about 2am in O’Fallon, Missouri, officers responded to a robbery report that led them to four people, all local residents aged 16 to 18, in a black BMW in a CVS parking lot. The occupants tried to discard a handgun out of the car when an officer approached, said Sgt Bill Stringer. The officer then identified the four people as suspects of similar armed robberies described in St Louis and St Charles counties.
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The adult suspects were charged with first degree robbery, a felony, and had bond set at $100,000 cash, Stringer said.

Stringer added that police believe the suspects used the phone app, which directs users to capture imaginary creatures superimposed onto the real world, to tempt players into secluded areas where they could be easily robbed. At a certain level in the game, he noted, players can congregate at local landmarks to join teams and battle.

“Using the geolocation feature,” Stringer said, “the robbers were able to anticipate the location and level of seclusion of unwitting victims.”

In a separate statement, a department spokesperson added: “you can add a beacon to a pokestop to lure more players. Apparently they were using the app to locate [people] standing around in the middle of a parking lot or whatever other location they were in.”

A statement from police quoted from a news article to explain the allure of the game: “Seeing a Pikachu on the sidewalk in front of you is a fan’s digital dream come true.”

The department added a warning, however. “If you use this app (or other similar type apps) or have children that do we ask you to please use caution when alerting strangers of your future location.”
Nintendo shares jump 10% as Pokémon Go paints a hopeful picture of the future
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Pokémon Go warns players to keep aware of their surroundings during their virtual treasure hunt, but after only a few days since its release it has already led people into a string of bizarre incidents. People have ended up in hospitals after chasing nonexistent animals into hazardous spots, and schools, a state agency and Australian police have warned people not to break the law or endanger themselves while “Pokemoning”. The game has also led wanderers to at least one home misidentified as a church, a venue the app considers a public space.

In Wyoming on Friday, the game led a teenager to a dead body in a river. “I just got up and went for my little walk, a walk to catch Pokémon,” 19-year-old Shayla Wiggens told local KCWY news. The pursuit led her to a highway bridge over the river, where she jumped a fence to approach the water. She spotted two deer near the water’s edge, and then a black shirt and pants – a corpse lying prone in the water, 6ft to her left.

The Fremont County sheriff’s office said in a statement that it was investigating the death, but that they do not suspect homicide. “The death appears to be accidental in nature,” said undersheriff Ryan Lee. Though the water is only 3ft deep where the body was found, investigators said the man possibly drowned.

Wiggins said the discovery of a corpse would not deter her from returning to the game. “I might go get a water Pokémon,” she told CNN. “I’m going to try.”

[Piper-Dreams]

Ah, the latest fad that I don't seem to understand. I'm sure my kids will get into it before too long as they usually do.

[IdleBoast]

I had two colleagues, grown men, wandering though my lab, phones out scanning for Pokemon earlier this week.

On the plus side, my normally-sedentary elder son walked over 7km yesterday, playing the game.

[MintJulie]

My niece is hooked so I've put it on my phone.   At least it's getting her out of the house and moving more.   She has logged 10 miles so far playing the game this week.    I make a big deal when I catch one like it's one of the most incredible things I've ever done.   She says, "Oh Aunt Julie, that's just a Rattata, they're easy."  When one of her friends are with us, I catch her looking at the friend and rolling her eyes.    

This story was on the news on my drive home last night.   In the metro Detroit area:

Couple playing 'Pokemon Go' in Royal Oak finds house fire, saves dog


A 10-year-old dog's life was saved Wednesday night in Royal Oak when a couple hunting Pokemon saw flames and called 911.

"They saved my house. They sure did," Randall Bishop, 40, said. "This whole 'Pokemon' thing is obviously a positive, in our aspect."

'Pokemon Go' an augmented-reality smartphone game, has drawn heat in some cities over trespassing and safety concerns. But at about 8 p.m. Wednesday, it led Patrick Awdish, 24, and his fiancee Katelyn Zack, 21, to Bishop's neighborhood at Cooper and Grandview.

"We kind of walked by a house, and we thought it was a bonfire," Awdish said. He said  they looked more closely and saw fire was on the house. "You could see the flames from the street."

They called 911, and firefighters quickly arrived and extinguished the fire with garden and fire hoses. Stanley, a flat-coated retriever, was alone inside the house. Royal Oak Fire Chief Jim Cook said the couple's quick thinking saved the house and the dog.

The fire started on a deck connected to the rear of the house. It had already burned about 25 square feet of the deck and melted the mesh on a sliding screen door, according to the incident report. A flower planter full of used cigarette butts, surrounded by wood chips, was under the corner of the deck where the fire started.

Cook said the fire's cause is under investigation, but "it certainly doesn't look like it was intentional."

'Pokemon Go' has become popular in the past week, with an active user base comparable to that of Twitter and Snapchat. It uses GPS and maps to make it possible for people to walk toward animated images superimposed on the screen, advancing through the game.

Judy Davids, community engagement specialist, said there's a game feature near City Hall, and people walking "kind of like zombies" have been seen on their phones in the area.

"We've just been quietly watching," she said. "So far, knock on wood, police have had no incidents of anything weird on unusual happening. We just think it's really cool and want to give a shout-out to this couple and encourage other players: If you see something that doesn't look right, call 911."

[MintJulie]

I corrected your spelling of Pokemon.  

I'm sorry, I missed this above post and never responded. So......




,
Jules

[MintJulie]

My youngest is playing.

And as for all the adults? Get a fucking life people!

Okay, I totally understand that, because I see 20 year old kids running around.   But you know what, they can sit on the couch and twitter their friends, or they can get up and move and get the blood flowing.   I saw a large kid actually running to keep up with his friends yesterday as they headed for the next game stop to load up on Pokeballs. 

Try to look at the positive effect this is having.

As for me, my niece is limited to 3 houseS each way in our neighborhood when she goes out alone during the day.   When I get home she wants to go out and walk the city.   I'm happy to do it, and to make it more of a bonding thing I do it with her.   

Oh, and I'm level 5 now.   300 more Xp and I'm level 6.     

[TinyDancer]

I personally think it should be done away with.....is dangerous in many aspects.  Won't be long before lawsuits start piling up.

[Elizabeth]

I'm not sure what to say about the game.
The idea of getting out and away from the computer (sort of)...LOL, haven't medical professions been preaching exercise for years (so this game does that, congrats for that). Now the flip side....I almost hit two teenagers who were playing the game while crossing a busy street (I had the green light) the kids walked right out in front of me, they never looked up at the light or crossing sign to see who had the right of way. They just stepped off the curb. Now on the lighter side of the game, the other day a very large and expensive car stopped at the end of my road / driveway and a couple of kids came racing down the driveway on foot, about 3/4's of the way down they stopped and then turned around and ran back to the car and took off. My neighbor had the same thing happen to his farm also, but he has a pond near the road so everyone is collecting the Krabby Creature at his place (by the way he is more than a little pissed off at the trespassers). So, All in All, I guess the game is good, up until someone gets seriously hurt playing it instead of paying attention to what's going on around them. (so the 64 dollar question.?...how are the schools going to handle this when the school year starts). I wish them luck.....

Love,
Liz
  

[Well Behaved Lady]

My youngest is playing.

And as for all the adults? Get a fucking life people!

Could that not be said about an individual choosing to post on this forum or any other interactive activity or a past time?

[MintJulie]

I personally think it should be done away with.....is dangerous in many aspects.  Won't be long before lawsuits start piling up.

Oh, I'm sure there will be lawsuits.    Someone will be driving and his someone.   Someone will cross into private property and get hurt.  

But if the player is aware while you're playing, it's fun.   My niece is having a ball.   She's limited to sidewalks.  Not going around a house to get one in a backyard.   She is not allowed to look at the phone while walking, as it will give off a vibration when a pokemon is near.    Just common sense.   But some of these other players we see are running through neighborhoods.

A grave yard near us put up a sign saying Pokemon hunters are welcome but to please be respectful to those visiting graves of loved ones and to be respectful to the property.   Running being discouraged.

[Elizabeth]

I'm 100% for any activity that deepens relationships with family.  My comment was more directed to the man who set off a chain collision this week, because he stopped on the freeway to catch a Pokemon.  Apparently the game won't function, if you are traveling at speed.

And....??
You don't think there is a problem with this game..?? and some of the people playing it.?? (see my response above...I could have very well severely hurt both of those kids that stepped out in front of me, or killed them).
While getting out is good, "common sense is needed".
I wish MissB would speak on this as to what's going on in NYC with the game.
I'm sure it's far more dangerous in the city than it is by me.

Love,
Liz

[MintJulie]

My youngest is playing.

And as for all the adults? Get a fucking life people!

As for me, my niece is limited to 3 houseS each way in our neighborhood when she goes out alone during the day.   When I get home she wants to go out and walk the city.   I'm happy to do it, and to make it more of a bonding thing I do it with her.   

Oh, and I'm level 5 now.   300 more Xp and I'm level 6.     

I'm 100% for any activity that deepens relationships with family.  My comment was more directed to the man who set off a chain collision this week, because he stopped on the freeway to catch a Pokemon.  Apparently the game won't function, if you are traveling at speed.

I know what you meant.      I hadn't heard about that accident.   This is a case of people needing to know when to play and when not to.    Same as texting.    Use common sense.   But I have no problem seeing any age out playing responsibly

[staci]

I personally think it should be done away with.....is dangerous in many aspects.  Won't be long before lawsuits start piling up.

Oh, I'm sure there will be lawsuits.    Someone will be driving and his someone.   Someone will cross into private property and get hurt.  

But if the player is aware while you're playing, it's fun.   My niece is having a ball.   She's limited to sidewalks.  Not going around a house to get one in a backyard.   She is not allowed to look at the phone while walking, as it will give off a vibration when a pokemon is near.    Just common sense.   But some of these other players we see are running through neighborhoods.

A grave yard near us put up a sign saying Pokemon hunters are welcome but to please be respectful to those visiting graves of loved ones and to be respectful to the property.   Running being discouraged.

Ate at a Fuzzys Taco in Tempe, had a sign outside that said "Welcome pokers, but you still must be 21 to buy a beer."

[Bexy]

[Bexy]

Pokemon Go when I was a kid:

[None]

Ate at a Fuzzys Taco in Tempe, had a sign outside that said "Welcome pokers, but you still must be 21 to buy a beer."

First - Fuzzy's Taco is awesome! I've been to TX several times for work.  I love their crawfish tacos. CoronaRita's were a big hit with everyone from our crew as well.

Number B - We were discussing Pokemon Go this morning. There is a local restaurant that has posted a sign that says if you are here to play Pokemon leave a $2 tip. People are coming in and just sitting there playing but not buying anything.

[IdleBoast]

(so the 64 dollar question.?...how are the schools going to handle this when the school year starts). I wish them luck.....

Love,
Liz
  

It's still term-time here.

My son's school has just carried on with their usual rule of "no phones out in lessons".

It seems many teacher play it (they're all of the generation that grew up with the first versions of the game) - one of my son's teachers lives in the middle of nowhere, with no phone signal, but the game keeps putting Pokemon in the road just outside his house, within reach of his home wifi signal - the kids quietly hate him for having a private supply of creatures.