Pokémon Go is a free-to-play, GPS based augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic for iOS and Android devices. Suddenly, a 13-year-old teenager and a 55-year-old grown up are on the same page, both locating Pokemons on the streets. This is a huge comeback by the Pokemon company into the mobile gaming space and has caught the world by storm.
The game uses your phone GPS and clock to detect time and place in the game, make Pokemon appear on your mobile screen, and you have to catch him as you have to travel around the real world. The gaming universe of Pokemon is populated with exotic creatures like rats, snakes, dragons, birds, trees etc. It is the amalgamation of gaming tools and real world simulation to give you a sense of realism, also known as augmented reality. At a certain point, the players can even congregate at local landmarks to join teams and battle it out with each other.
The mobile game has also caused a major controversy as armed robbers are using it to lure people and rob them in broad daylight. They apparently directed users to capture imaginary creatures superimposed onto the real world to tempt players into a remote place where they could be easily robbed. Using the geo-location feature, the robbers were able to anticipate location and level of seclusion of innocent victims. One teenage girl even found a dead body on the streets while looking for Pokemon.
Well, despite its shortcomings the game has gone viral, but now Iran has officially become the first country to ban the Pokemon Go app. BBC has reported that the High Council in Iran has “security concerns” with the game, but recently ew York’s correctional department announced that it would consider “downloading, access, or otherwise engaging in any internet enabled gaming activities, including Pokémon Go” grounds for parole violations for sex offenders.
