Pokémon Go is a smartphone game released recently that sends players to locations to collect various creatures.
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The title is now the No. 1 free app in Apple Inc’s USA iTunes store, according to a chart maintained by the company.
That the Darwin Police Station is one such landmark prompted a Facebook message from Australia’s Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services: “For those budding Pokemon Trainers out there using Pokemon Go – whilst the Darwin Police Station may feature as a Pokestop, please be advised that you don’t actually have to step inside in order to gain the pokeballs”, the agency wrote.
Pokemon Go is being used by armed criminals to lure victims to secluded locations, police have warned. A handgun was recovered, according to police. “Whenever I see a Pokemon, I always stop and never try to keep walking and catch it at the same time”.
“We encourage all people playing Pokemon Go to be aware of their surroundings and to play with friends when going to new or unfamiliar places”, Pokemon Company International and Niantic said in an emailed statement.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports police arrested the four teens after responding to a call for a robbery near a gas station Sunday. While the four teens have been apprehended, other robberies using the app are expected and the police department has issued a warning for people using the app.
Pokemon GO is proving addictive for gamers in both hemispheres, as this tweet attests.
“The Pokemon, graphics and sound effects are computer-generated, but seeing a Pikachu on the sidewalk in front of you is a fan’s digital dream come true”, Stringer said.
The game was the most downloaded free app on Apple’s app store while Nintendo’s shares surged almost 25 percent for their biggest daily gains in history after Pokemon Go’s takeoff.
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In an unrelated incident, a teenager in Wyoming discovered a body while exploring a river bank in search of water-type Pokemon last week, according to the local news outlet KTVQ. But, she added, the game is good for gamers and allows them to go out and exercise.
