There’s seriously tons of different stories that involve Pokemon Go in some way being a part. Instead of trying to catch them all as they come out, we found it easier to just provide a wrap-up summary of them from this past week.
Naturally, what Pokemon Go does for the individual is the best place to begin. A mother who has a son with autism had a hard time interacting with other children, but when the game came out he was able to interact with kids easily. Sharing a mutual bond over their successes in the game. “Talking to people. Verbalizing. Participating in speech. With total strangers. Looking up at them. Sometimes even in the eye. Laughing with them. Sharing something in common. This is AMAZING,” the mother said.
Many businesses see an opportunity with the rise in Pokemon Go popularity. There’s a tendency for Pokestops to be placed around Churches, and it’s been reported in Boston that many of them realize that and openly welcome players of the game to their buildings – offering wi-fi, recharging stations, and a chance to rest before continuing onward. Miami bars and pubs have capitalized on their PokeStop status as a chance to host Pub Crawls, with several events already planned for the second half of July. All the way on the other side of the United States, over in Oregon, it’s a similar story. Tomorrow, Portland is hosting a large-scale Pokemon battle in Pioneer Courthouse Square, with other events expected in the days to come. College Football Stadiums across the country have been buzzing with activity, as their areas tend to be Pokestops. From Alabama, Arizona, to places like Nebraska, Notre Dame and Texas A&M.
An animal shelter in Munice, Indiana has taken advantage of the game in order get people to help walk their dogs. The director of the shelter was inspired by his daughter and nephew, who got him addicted to Pokemon Go himself.
Savvy players of the game have tried their best to capitalize on the craze for themselves. Ivy St Ive took to Craigslist to offer her services for $20 an hour: walking around capturing all the Pokemon she comes across, activating all the Pokestops she sees, and hatching any eggs you have. Unfortunately this venture was short lived, as Ivy retired the following day citing the terms of service from Niantic state in section 7, subsection IV, that you are only permitted to play on your own account.
The Mayor of Rio de Janeiro wants Pokemon Go launched in the city by the time the 2016 Summer Olympics start. “Hello, Nintendo! 23 days to go to the Olympics Rio 2016. The whole world is coming here. Come too!#Cidadeolímpica #rio2016#pokemongonobrasil,” he says on Facebook.
YouTubers have gravitated toward the game as well.
But some places have deemed it too inappropriate for the game. The Holocaust Memorial Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, the Auschwitz Memorial in Poland, and New York’s Ground Zero have all spoken out against having Pokemon Go involved in their area. Even though the game is not out in Russia yet, President Vladimir Putin has preemptively warned people to not trespass on his house’s grounds looking for Pokemon. Over in Egypt, Islamic clerics have declared the game “haraam” (forbidden) in reaction to the Pokemon Go craze. Even though the game hasn’t released in some parts of the Arab world, that hasn’t stopped people from trying to get a hold of it out of curiosity.
Police departments across the country have taken action in warning the public about being cautious about their surroundings. Although Pokemon Go fever has struck them too, they realize the unintended consequences about what can happen.
Yeah we know Charizard is rare but don't let Officer Monello & his new partner catch you! Don't #CatchEmAll & drive! pic.twitter.com/S0ipjYTDeY
— NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) July 11, 2016
7/11-Traffic accident: Illegally parked car struck from behind (*Airbags deployed in 2nd car). 1st driver had exited to catch a Pokémon.
— Texas A&M Police (@TAMUPolice) July 13, 2016
One of the earliest negative Pokemon Go stories came around July 10th, when armed men used the game’s Pokestops to lure players in a secluded area, robbing them with a handgun. Two former Marines playing the game were able to catch a murder suspect in the Fullerton, California area, helping avert a disastrous situation. Given that Pokemon Go is an experience that leads players to traveling around outside, it’s led to some unfortunate incidents as well. In Auburn Alabama, a driver crashed his car because he was playing the game while driving. In Pennsylvania yesterday a 15-year-old girl was hit by a car because the game distracted her as she was crossing the street. Today, it was reported that two men in San Diego’s North County fell of a cliff because they were exploring for Pokemon in the area. The state of their injuries is unclear. Down in North Texas, a teenager was distracted with Pokemon Go and that led him to getting bit by a venomous snake. In San Luis Obispo, Califorinia – one of the Pokestops in the area is the home of a sex offender and alcoholic rehabilitation ranch called Sunny Acres. “We have some criminals, we have some alcoholics, we have drug addicts, we have mentally ill, there are some sex offenders, yes,” Founder Dan De Vaul told the Media. “I have no idea who put the stop – if it was sabotage – because we don’t want kids showing up here.”
These incidents aren’t always caused by distractions, however. A man in Lake Ronkonkoma was robbed at gunpoint when he was walking along Lake Shore Drive one evening playing Pokemon Go. Elsewhere, a man wandered into Anaheim park while playing the game at midnight – where he got into an altercation with a local gang, leading the man to being stabbed several times in the torso.
Not even Stephen Colbert could deny Pokemon Go mania, bringing it up on his July 12th episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Some people are sick and tired of hearing about Pokemon Go all day, leading software developer Jamie Farrelly to make PokeGone. This Chrome extension will erase all mentions of Pokemon from the internet for you.
But Pokemon Go has even made it’s way to Porn, causing a spike in interest that’s on equal levels of one another, in addition to a rise in searches related to PokePorn in itself.
Finally, in the 2016 Presidential Races, Pokemon Go had actually recently come up. “I don’t know who created Pokemon Go but I’m trying to figure out how we get them to Pokemon Go to the polls!!,” Hillary Clinton said to a crowd today during a speech.
Donald Trump’s campaign fired back quickly. He was quoted as saying he wish he “had time” to play Pokemon Go, but he was too busy with the elections to play it.
At the end of the day, Pokemon Go has just become a thing apart of people’s lives, and we ought to just get used to these stories.
