Pokemon Go fans play on despite no official launch

Organised ‘pokewalks’ are becoming common for diehard fans in cities such as Mumbai and New Delhi

Phas yet to officially arrive in India, but that’s not stopping people there from playing the addictive online game.

Many fans of the augmentedreality-based game have managed to download the app even though it has not been launched in India yet. Some are also using virtual private networks (VPNs) to change their locations and catch pokemons in New York and London while sitting in their Indian homes.

Like walking in grass

Organised “pokewalks” are becoming common in cities such as Mumbai and New Delhi, where hundreds are gathering to catch pokemon characters.

“You really feel like you’re walking around in tall grass, catching all your favourite pokemons,” 14-year-old Nikhil Kapil said in Mumbai.

The highly popular gaming app has become a global phenomenon after it was launched in most countries across North America and Europe. It was recently launched in Japan and Hong Kong, the only two Asian countries where it is officially available to download.

Gamers in India have used accounts linked to US- or Britainbased app stores to download the game. No launch date has been announced for India.

Siddhant Tyagi, a 21-year-old design student, said he and his friends have been spending an average of four hours a day playing Pokemon Go, often walking around New Delhi landmarks.