Japan isn’t taking any chances when it comes to the safety of impatient fans awaiting the release of Pokemon Go in the country where the cutesy monsters were born.
Tokyo has issued a nine-point safety guide warning of dangers gamers could face, including heat stroke, online scams and dubious strangers.
Japan’s National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC) has also advised fans to download a weather app so Pokemon hunts don’t land them – improbably – in the path of a tsunami or climate-related dangers.
Heat stroke is a constant worry this time of year so players should wear a hat, the guide advises, adding that parents should snap pictures of Pokemon-hunting kids for rescuers in case their young ones get lost.
“Dangerous places” should be avoided at all costs, and gamers should never meet up with someone who contacts them online because they could be a real-life monster, it cautions.
A caption featuring a pair of cartoon Wild West cowboys warns about robberies and other troubles that players elsewhere have recounted.
“There have been reports that players have gotten run over, fallen into water, gotten bitten by a snake or robbed,” it added.
The list is the latest in a slew of warnings issued worldwide since the hugely popular smartphone app was launched two weeks ago.
It has already been blamed for a wave of crimes, traffic violations and complaints in cities around the globe.
The app challenges players armed with their smartphones to roam the real world in search of cartoon monsters to capture and train for battles.
In Qatar, the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) called on all citizens and residents to exercise caution while using apps like Pokemon Go, Geocaching, Waze, etc. Pokemon GO app is not available officially in Qatar.
The CRA said it has observed media reports, social media comments and stray incidents where safety and privacy of individuals and businesses may have been compromised while using the apps.
Middle Eastern states are often wary of social media use by their growing youth populations. Kuwait and Egypt have already warned that Pokemon players might be tempted to point their smartphones at restricted locations. A Saudi Arabian fatwa in 2001 had said the Pokemon card game contained elements prohibited by Islamic law such as gambling.
It can be disconcerting to watch videos of crowds gathering in parks to find rare Pokemon. Eyes glued to their phones, they wander about - some meandering, some trotting, others at a near sprint. You can’t help but cringe as hysteria roils the crowd and a thousand near collisions are somehow missed.
Some are not missed. While many Pokemon GO disaster hoaxes have been perpetrated, some real accidents have been reported. Two men were hospitalised after falling down a 90-ft ocean-side bluff in San Diego. The game has been cited in roadway accidents in Texas, New York and elsewhere. Other reports have people suffering injuries after stumbling into ditches and walking into trees.
It’s a fact of our world that public distraction of any sort can lead to victimisation, injury or even death.
What’s on our phone screens might seem to demand our attention, but not at the cost of noticing vehicles speeding down the street or some obstruction in our path.
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