Why Pokemon Go is so popular, yet dangerous

It’s a quiet summer’s morning on the streets of Seattle. The wind is strumming the leaves like a lazy guitar around a campfire when suddenly a voice breaks the serenity of the season — “YES! I CAUGHT IT!”

Anyone walking down the streets of Seattle — or the planet — can relate a similar story. What is going on?

Hold on to your poke balls, you are about to be introduced to the phenomena known as Pokemon Go. And don’t roll your eyes. This game isn’t just for kids. All ages are picking it up — and yes, it can be harmful.

For example, Sound Transit posted this message recently as Pokemon Go was gaining popularity.

Be aware of your surroundings when hunting #Pokemon. Watch out for trains, buses and caterpie on your commute! pic.twitter.com/GJhEaqpuUB

— Sound Transit (@SoundTransit) July 11, 2016

Uber drivers are being hired just to cart players around who want to travel the city to play the game. And businesses are posting clever messages in an effort to jump in on the growing hype — some bosses are already seeing workers distracted.

Then there’s this guy who thought it would be appropriate to play the game while his wife was in labor.

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So, what the heck is PokemonGo?

Poekemon Go is an augmented reality game, and it’s easy to play. You download the free app and go out for a walk to local landmarks. These landmarks, aka “Pokestops,” are where prizes are located, but you have to walk up to them. There are also little monsters, Pokemon, to capture while out and about.

Using your phone’s camera, the game imposes prizes and Pokemon over the scene in front of you. Suddenly a Charmander is on your passenger seat, or Pikachu is in a urinal … next to one that’s being used. Or, more likely, you’re playing along the road or in a park where your local landmarks are. For example, in Eastlake, there are stops for all the artistic sidewalk markers along the avenue, or fountains, notable buildings, or public art.

There’s more to the game, but those aspects are the basics of the smartphone-based app — walk, collect, capture. And also, socialize as the game brings players together in public. And it’s all done while taking a walk around the neighborhood, the city, state, country — anywhere.

The emerging dangers of Pokemon Go

Police in Edmonds issued a statement asking people not to go out onto a pier that was under construction. That message follows similar sentiments from police in Dallas and Duvall where police asked Pokemon Go players not to lurk outside the precinct at night.

Olympia firefighters have also noticed the game’s dangers.

Jessica Paladini and her boyfriend Steven Partridge are among the players the messages are aimed at. They play the game together, sometimes at night, both figuring out the locations for Pokestops and watching out for each other. Night time players are common — some monsters only come out after dark.

“If I’m driving, he’ll grab my phone and try to get things and if there’s an indoor location that has a lot of Pokestops, like, we found a mall that had a lot of things inside, I would do that at night but I would never go out to a park, no,” she said. “I’m too smart for that.

Over at Maple Leaf Park, through a sea of bicycles, dogs and frisbees, Andie Aviles was grasping two phones trying to get the angle just right. Why two smartphones? Her older sister, Macy, was at home making lunch. So in an act of sisterly solidarity Andie grabbed both phones so each player could get more Pokemon.

For Aviles, the game helps her be more active and social.

“I might never walk up to you and start a conversation, but I see you’re playing so I’m talking to strangers now,” Aviles said. “It’s actually bringing people together.”

And just as Aviles makes that statement, she runs into a grandfather-granddaughter duo also playing Pokemon Go, then a 20-something couple walks up.

But while Aviles enjoys the game, she does note some potential dangers.

“Last night at 10 p.m. I thought, ‘what if I dropped a lure at Cowen Park in the U District, would anyone show up?’ It took about five minutes and fifteen adults showed and we were all laughing and catching Pokemon in the dark but the whole time I was thinking, ‘What if I wanted to do something bad to these people?’ They don’t know me!”

Anyone can “drop a lure” when playing Pokemon Go — it’s like a beacon. If you are nearby, your screen lights up indicating someone else is close and playing the game, and it bears the promise of capturing more Pokemon if you join them.

That’s something armed robbers have already used to lure victims — it happened on a street corner in O’Fallon, Missouri.

Pokemon after dark

With pepper spray in one hand and my phone in the other, I ventured out to some popular Seattle parks to find out who would drop a Pokemon Go lure at night.

It didn’t take long. Around 10:30 p.m., 33-year-old Benjamin Caro was waiting on a deserted path at Magnuson Park. I soon realized he wasn’t alone. Ben was pushing his baby in a stroller.

“I’m getting my baby to fall asleep and catching Pokemon at the same time,” he said. “I’m not concerned with safety in this particular park. I live right down the street so I feel pretty safe around here.”

Then I met Hanako Carui standing in a dark field. Was she worried about being a victim of some crime?

“Yes, a little bit,” she said. “I try to pay attention to where I am. I think in a park, it’s a little less scary than it is on the street. I have definitely been tempted to play in my car which is not the best plan,. And I climbed a fence to get to a Pokemon today.”

Carui appears to be a normal 26-year-old adult — that may or may not have trespassed to catch some of her Pokemon characters — but she has seen both the good and bad sides of Pokemon Go.

“I’ve got my Fitbit and I have gotten twice as many steps that I normally would get and it’s been fun, but I have been glued to my phone the whole time,” Carui said. “I haven’t been doing anything productive. I’m usually am at work or doing homework. This game is not helping.”

Pokemon Go players should set some obvious boundaries. Don’t let kids play alone. Use common sense and don’t play and drive, though the game reportedly has measures to prevent some playing while driving.

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