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'Pokémon Go' Launch Faces String of Robberies, Crimes, and Car Accidents

Cool game... Hope it kicks off more augmented reality games!

I started playing because my 11 year old cousin was visiting and she showed me that my apartment complex is a big Pokemon Go hotspot. We have 4 Pokestops and a Gym.

In fact, one of the Pokestops is within reach of my apartment... so I can sit in my living room and collect Pokeballs!

As for the issues: you have to realize that the trouble in Missouri was in St Louis... it's dangerous at the best of times to walk around with your iPhone out there... doing it at night in abandoned parking lots is asking for trouble. Still have to use common sense!
 
My wife and I are having fun with it. We are in our late 40s early 50s. Our kids grew up with Pokemon. I guess it will fade but its got us walking more :)
 
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oneMadRssn said:
I think it should be socially acceptable and encouraged, when approached by someone staring into their phone and being totally oblivious to their surrounding (not seeing you to politely move to the side so you can each pass each other), to slap the phone out of their hands and straight onto the pavement.
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If you did that to me it would be the last time you ever did it to anyone. Guarantee.
 
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jlc1978 said:
Depending on the law it's a reasonable expectation of harm; so a prosecutor could decide you were reasonable in your actions even if the person turned out not to be an actual danger and thus decide not to prosecute. All of this is speculative at this point and the outcome would depend on the specific situation; which does someone how would get shot very little good after the fact. I think the article's point is a good one; you need to be aware of where you are going and avoid doing things that could lead to a confrontation on someone's private property (which probably is more of a Castle Doctrine issue than SYG).
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And society was having a contentious debate about the Treyvon/Zimmerman case? I think a nerd playing a game on his phone is more of an open shut case against a shooter.
 
steiney said:
Yeah, whoever made that assertion does not understand what a "stand your ground" law provides. A lot of times, however, people conflate "stand your ground" and "defend your castle" laws, and end up thinking you can shoot someone who comes onto your property, but not inside your dwelling.
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That depends entirely on the state. Here in Missouri, Castle Doctrine includes your dwelling/residence, your vehicle, or any private property, which includes your yard.

Of course, Castle Doctrine also requires that you believe you or someone else is in danger of being killed or otherwise subject to great bodily harm. A person roaming about with their phone wouldn't cut it, legally. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen though.
 
oneMadRssn said:
First, what I said was in half jest. Though if someone really did do that to a distracted walker, I would record it on video, put it on youtube to shame the distracted walker, and laugh loudly.

Second, think about "glancing down at their phone for a few seconds." I live in a fairly crowded city, with an old subway system. This means narrow sidewalks, narrow stairs, narrow tunnels, narrow platforms, and lots of people. Count out 3 seconds, using Mississippis or whatever method they used in grade school gym class. That is a long time to not be looking at where you are going. In that time, you could probably pass 3-6 people walking the other direction. In that amount of time, you can walk 15 feet. We have had instances of people falling on the tracks because they were walking on a platform and glanced at their phone for a second too long; not only injuring themselves but causing delays for everyone else using that subway line at the time.

When two people approach each other on a narrow sidewalk, each moves a tad to the side and shifts their shoulders so they can easy pass easily. People looking down at their phones for even a few seconds don't do this. If a person is looking down and doesn't do this, and we end up bumping shoulders, if their phone happens to fall and break, so be it. I have also noticed people tend to slow down when they are looking at their phones - I don't think they even notice they are suddenly walking a lot slower. But everyone behind them notices. If someone should happen to bump them as they pass and the phone happens to fall and break, so be it.

If someone must glance at their phone for *one* second to check something really quick and glanceable - fine go ahead. But if someone wants to answer texts, comment on social media, reply to emails, update calendars or to-do lists, or play games on a street with other people on it, then stop walking and step aside. There are plenty of places to stand without being in the way. There are plenty of coffee shops at every block to take a quick break. Anything else is incredible inconsiderate of everyone else around you.
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I have run at the same park for over 2 years. This park has become some sort of pokemon haven now and it has completely ruined it. A group of oblivious people were staring at their phone on a bridge and I couldn't get by. I stood there hoping someone would look up and move. Nope, didn't happen. I yelled heads up and one person looked up and then mocked me. Can't tell you how close I was to smashing some phones. It is socially unacceptable to look at your phone and be oblivious to everyone around you. Next time that happens I'm not stopping and you can explain to the police officer exactly why you have a broken phone. I'm at the park to run, exercise and enjoy being outside, not to play human dodgeball. I 100% agree with you!
 
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Smith288 said:
And society was having a contentious debate about the Treyvon/Zimmerman case? I think a nerd playing a game on his phone is more of an open shut case against a shooter.
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Hard to say. A trick or treater was shot and killed and the shooter acquitted when he argued he thought he was about to become the victim of a home invasion; and someone who shot a businessman after he climbed over the fence and banged on his back door was not charged.

I don't think it's that open and shut, and people playing Pokemon should be aware act not everyone may have even heard of the game and realize someone, or a group of people, acting in what appears to be an odd manner is merely playing a game. Gamers can get so wrapped up in a game they lose situational awareness of the real world which can be a problem when you are playing a game that uses a real world environment. Not just because of the edge case of SYG/Castle but because there are plenty of places where not being aware of where you are walking can result in a fall or worse because you failed to realize where you were going.

In addition, there is a tacit convention that using a public space includes respecting other people's ability to use it. A bunch of people wandering around obvious to there surroundings and blocking access or wandering into your baseball / football / soccer game is just plain rude. Of course, the same person no doubt would be upset that they got hit with a ball because the didn't see it coming and duck; and dropped their phone which broke.

AR games can be a lot of fun, the Star Wars one (no longer available AFAIK) had a mode where you could hoot at Tie Fighters against a background of your surroundings, the people on the Metro no doubt though I was nuts because I was swinging my phone around while staring at it and pushing the green rapidly to fire.
 
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ArtOfWarfare said:
This is escalating quickly...

1. You're walking and glancing at your phone periodically.
2. During a periodic glance you bump into someone.
3. That person then slaps your phone out of your hands.
4. And then you break their jaw.

We went from playing a game to breaking a face in a fraction of a second.
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Gotta hit them all, Pokemon!
 
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Waxhead138 said:
Yesterday afternoon a kid walked through my front lawn....and continued to walk through other peoples front lawns as well. It was odd....all of our lawns parallel the street we live on, like any other suburbia street. I wonder if this game had something to do with it. Personally doesn't bother me as long as people don't get destructive or steal my trashcans (yep that happened once lol...karma for stuff I did as a teen is that way I saw it).

On a serious note though...and I haven't played it....I'm guessing GPS is required to be on? If so, at the very least the game should be aware of what is private property and not guide people into those areas, specifically peoples lawns. While the majority of people will not be bothered by a passerby, we all know there will be exceptions. No one wants to see anyone (and in all probability it would be a kid) get hurt over wandering somewhere they shouldn't. There need to be some safety measures built in...whether people ignore them is another issue...but they need to be in the app.
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I do hope they have some logic built in to keep people from unsafe areas. Superfund sites, landfills, etc are not good places for people to go, yet they would shrug off all the signs and fences in the real world to get the prize. There is some level of accounting for stupidity that the developer should consider and be held liable for when making a game/software like this.

I am very protective of private property rights, especially my own, yet I'd much rather have kids harmlessly rambling through my land without permission than to have them nearer to the road.
 
Gives new meaning to "Gotta catch 'em all!"
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bigjnyc said:
This beats out world of warcraft for the geekiest thing to do. But on the bright side this gets kids outside and out of their parents basement, so some progress there.
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At least the Celler Dwellers now have an excuse to get outside and air out their body smell.
 
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Another slow news day...

And sooner or later someone will sue Nintendo and all those involved in the development of Pokémon Go due to an accident or similar event.
And I'd say blame the irresponsible user who doesn't have his/her priorities set straight.
If you are a pedestrian, concentrate on walking.
If you are a driver, concentrate on driving.
If you walk into a car, it's your fault.
If you end in a swamp, it's your fault too.
 
oneMadRssn said:
Nope. If you care about your screen and the condition of your phone, don't walk without looking where you are going?

You think the shopping mall had to pay for this lady's phone? Haha
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Honestly, and I realize I'm older than the hills, the very idea of walking (or driving) while texting or playing a game and not looking where you're going is just incomprehensible to me.

What if you harm someone else? What if you do land in a pool or down a storm drain or shopkeeper's cellarway in the city? What if you encounter someone who does in fact take offense and punch you out, or worse?

Like anyone else I have my little array of games I like to play but I like being alive, unharmed and out of jail better than deciding to launch them while out and about, and better than being run over by some oblivious idiot walking through my marigolds and bumping into me as I hang clothes on the line.

This sounds much worse odds than getting tapped by a drone when just stepping out to the mailbox to post a birthday card. And I even like the idea that drones might someday save me the trouble of fetching packages off the front porch when I can tell Amazon to bring it around to the back. That's what I'd call an enhanced delivery option. But I'm not sure I'm a fan of Pokémon Go's augmentated reality. It can make nonplayers potential players without our opting in.

ArtOfWarfare said:
I don't think there's any easy way to determine what is and isn't private property.
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Well in some parts of the boondocks there are some unfortunate ways to figure that out, depending on how your trespass is perceived... would you like to meet the owner's dog or his 12-gauge varmint-dispatcher first? I hope we're so far into the boondocks they can't find a landmark to park a Pokémon within 20 miles, but I suspect over time even little unincorporated hamlets will have one snuggled next to the Founders' Cannon on the village green.
 
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friedmud said:
I'm an adult (35) and I'm playing like crazy (so are many others). Just because we get older that doesn't mean we have to stop having fun!
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I am near that age too and play. But not much. I really don't put much effort to go and hunt them. I have 4 pokestops within a block of me and a gym also there. That is about as far as I care to even put effort into collecting. Take my daughter for a walk and just hit all those in one round. But now my wife has started collecting as we run errands on my phone.
sk1wbw said:
Hey everyone, nobody broke any laws here. The law says TEXTING and driving are illegal.
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Actually there are laws for distracted driving and that is what they will get you for. Even if the state does not have a cell phone law they can get you with that if you are not driving safe.
 
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