Pokémon GO took action in the United States on the evening on June 6; and as expected, it took the country by storm. For weeks afterwards, many dealt with the crashing servers and an overall inability to access their profiles as Niantic, the company that helped create the game, worked to fix the servers for billions of players worldwide.
Although this game was meant to be a fun way for people to experience Pokémon in an augmented reality, and get outside more, there has been stirred up controversy. This controversy is due to some of the components and locations used in the game, as well as some of the general problems that some people have come across while out and about playing.
According to a recent article on usatoday.com, the officials of the Holocaust Museum were demanding to have Niantic remove the museum as a location provided with Pokéstops, due to the fact that it is a form of disrespect to Jewish history during a dark time of the world. Niantic did the same with their previous augmented reality game, Ingress, which also caused controversy by using Nazi concentration camps as in-game locations.
In a July article for nbcsandiego.com, it was reported that two men in North County San Diego had fallen off a cliff while playing the game. Though this happened, signs posted on fences along the cliffs warned players of the instability of the cliff sides. In addition, the game itself gives a warning prompt before loading to “Be alert at all times,” “Do not enter dangerous areas while playing Pokémon GO,” and “Pokémon GO should not be played while driving.” By not adhering to these warnings, players can subject themselves to potential dangers while playing.
On the other hand, Pokémon GO has created a sense of community within parts of San Diego. For starters, visiting Balboa Park at any given time of the day would normally result in your standard sight of hundreds of people in San Diego visiting the many museums that the park offers. But, if you go later in the night, you can still see hundreds of people walking around in groups playing the game and interacting with each other. Some people have even taken advantage of this by becoming street vendors and selling small snacks and waters to players as they walk around late at night with minimal nearby eating options. Others have even set up a phone charging station within the rose garden to assist players in continuously having their mobile devices charged in order to play the game to their fullest content.
Regardless of what has happened thus far with the release of the game, different viewpoints will continue to be made as updates are introduced. Until then, there will continue to be the same controversy that is seen now until miraculous changes have been made in the public’s eye.