Say ‘no’ to Pokemon Go
THERE is a sense of foreboding in the air, a feeling that something wicked and evil is about to engulf the world, and swallow Malaysia whole in its wake. It has brought about turmoil in several countries, with real threats of severe security breaches and the trespass of sacred and restricted sites. There is even concern that the location of secret military bases would be revealed, and lives lost.
Indeed, Pokemon Go has continued to cause chaos around the globe since its official release on July 6 for iOS and Android devices.
The free augmented reality mobile phone game developed by Niantic has triggered a craze even bigger than Donald Trump’s mane, causing droves of people to take to the streets in search of Pokemon — irresistibly cute “PO-cKE-t MON-sters” with special powers. Pokemon Go now has more daily users than Twitter on Android phones in the United States.
The Pokemon franchise started in 1996 as titles for the Nintendo Game Boy, a handheld video game device, and has since expanded into films, toys, and trading cards. In these games, players explore a fictional world capturing wild Pokemon which they then use to battle and trade with other players.
Pokemon Go takes the finding, capturing and battles further — the cartoon monsters now “hide” in the real world and are discovered on a smartphone. What any addicted gamer needs to do is physically walk to specific spots in a city, town or neighbourhood to locate and capture Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander and other unpronounceable creatures.
And, this is what makes it extremely dangerous. Whatsapping during meals and other inappropriate times is nothing compared to this new method of human mind domination. Adult men, who are essentially more malleable, have been particularly susceptible to the creatures’ seductive charms, willing in many cases to put aside all common sense to “catch ’em all”.
Since its introduction, reports have poured in about people walking into trees, lamp-posts, and drains; crashing
DANGEROUS: The obvious risks of the game clearly outweigh the benefits and can easily bring about tragic real-life consequences