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Pokemon Go, the augmented reality smartphone game which has taken the world by storm, was launched in Hong Kong on Monday, prompting multiple warnings against trespassing and straying into busy roads.
Within hours of its release, the city was quickly abuzz with excited talk about the game that allows players to use their phones’ GPS and camera to hunt for virtual Pokemon – short for Pocket Monsters – in the real world.
A mobile screen is reflected on a fan's sunglasses as she plays Pokemon Go in Hong Kong on Monday. Pokemon fans took to the game on Monday after the app was released for both iPhone and Android.Photo By: IC
“I wasn’t really that interested at first, and then I got addicted,” Jamie Sie-to Chuk-man told the Post outside the bustling Times Square shopping mall in Causeway Bay.
Fans maneuver their smartphones as they play Pokemon Go in Hong Kong on Monday. Since its global launch, the mobile game has been an unexpected megahit as users have taken to the streets with their smartphones.Photo By: IC
Using a cartoon map, the game encourages players to explore and find real locations to catch and collect Pokemon as they appear anywhere randomly.
Safety warnings from official
Hong Kong Police Force, the Hospital Authority, religious centres and even the People’s Liberation Army were proactive about the possible security issues may caused by the game. They have all made clear that gamers hunting Pokemon should stay off their premises.
Police posting a video on their official Facebook page to caution people against playing mobile phone games while crossing the road and while driving to avoid any accidents.
A police source also told the Post that Pokemon players would be asked to leave if they were trespassing.
“If they refuse to leave and influence others and repeated advice is ignored, they may face arrest for obstructing a police officer in the execution of duty,” the source said.
Office workers play Pokemon Go on their smartphones during lunch hour in Hong Kong on Monday. Photo By: IC
A PLA spokesman said military barracks were closed zones and only authorised personnel or staff were allowed to enter.
And a Hospital Authority spokesman said: “Public hospitals are primarily for patients to seek medical treatment. Any person’s behaviour cannot affect other persons or hospital service in public areas.”
At the Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Centre, a representative said: “Please note that the mosque is a place for worship and requires due respect.”
Accidents in other countries
Hong Kong is only the second place in Asia to get Pokemon Go, following the game’s release in Japan last Friday. However, in some countries where the game was first released earlier this month, a series of accidents has happened.
In Canada, a woman has been charged after she allegedly fired at least four shots at Pokemon GO players from the rooftop of a two-storey building, according to local police on Monday. It happened on the street of Newmarket, north of Toronto, where had possibly been marked in the augmented reality game as a "gym," a place players gather to challenge each other.
In Japan, a 22-year-old female university student on a bicycle had her bag containing ¥2,000 in cash snatched from the bike’s front basket by a man sneaking up behind her on a motorcycle as she was absorbed in the game when the man.
More incredibly, two youths in Canada unaware of their surroundings when they were playing Pokemon GO made an illegal border crossing into the United States.
The game was also to blame for a rash of car accidents and a slew of mishaps stemming from distracted players. British officers have received "a number of" calls from concerned citizens about people playing Pokemon GO, and while there's nothing illegal about partaking in the game, players should be careful not to trespass.
Creator: updates and new features would be rolled out
Security concerns about the game cannot stop the popularity of the game and the enthusiasm of the fans. John Hanke, founder of Niantic Labs and developer of “Pokemon Go,” was welcomed with loud applause from more than 6,500 fans at the final day of San Diego’s annual Comic-Cone, on a stage usually reserved for star-studded presentations from movie studios and TV networks.
In the speech, John Hanke said the global popularity of the game, which incorporates colorful animated creatures from Nintendo’s Pokemon universe into the real world using augmented reality (AR) and Google mapping technology, had been “mind-blowing.” Faced with questions from audience, He also introduced that the team was aware and fixing the glitches and bugs in the game and took fans’ suggestions on what to add, such as possible functions to breed Pokemon.
The developer added that AR “can enhance the things we already do to get out of the house,” and wanted “Pokemon Go” to encourage people to go outdoors, be active and meet new people.
As for the future of the game, Hanke said the small team at Niantic Labs, founded internally at Google and spun into an independent entity last year, has struggled to keep the game’s servers running as more users join, and their current priority was to prevent servers from crashing.
(APD)
