Pokémon GO: danger or fun

Madeline Bernard

More stories from Madeline Bernard

Pok%C3%A9mon+GO%3A+danger+or+fun

Pokémon GO, a popular mobile-phone game and app, allows people to use their GPS location to catch Pokémon and battle other players nearby. With over $14 million in revenue in just one month, it has taken over the social media world. According to recent polls, Pokémon GO has surpassed the number of users of Twitter.

“My favorite thing about the game is that it has this augmented reality feature so that you when you are catching the Pokémon, you can see them in the real world, like on the grass or in the car with you. It makes it all that much more fun,” Danielle Goold, senior, said.

Using their GPS location, trainers follow a virtual map to catch nearby Pokémon.

Pokémon GO has three teams, Mystic, Valor and Instinct, that battle their Pokémon in Gyms, and whoever wins the battle gains the Gym for their team.

Leveling up gets players items such as Pokéballs or eggs. These can be found all over the place, usually very public and well-known, but players can acquire items they want by purchasing them with their own money.

“Everything costs real money, and you can’t get anything easily without paying,” Art Depina, freshman, said.

This game, designed for entertainment purposes, can be dangerous.

Trainers can focus too much on catching Pokémon and may go places they are not allowed. A teen in Wyoming found a dead body while playing the game.

Pokémon GO has also become another interference for drivers: According to U.S. News, a man was playing the game and driving when he got distracted, slammed into a tree and ended up in a hospital. With public safety already an issue, Pokémon GO seems more a distraction than a game.

“It used to be a good game,” Simon Bigger, sophomore, said.