Police in Darwin, Australia, have even asked players not to waltz into their station, which of course is a Pokestop in the game.

"You don't actually have to step inside in order to gain the pokeballs," the Northern Territory Police Fire and Emergency Services says on its Facebook page.

Ankle injuries, mishaps with revolving doors and walking into trees have been among the painful results.

Do any of you guys use those spiral light bulbs?

I just had one start burning and basically catch fire...now my house smells like burning plastic. Looked it up, and this is not an uncommon problem with these bulbs. I'm not using them anymore and you guys should be careful if you do.

Moved to the Pokemon thread

Wow, so yesterday Nintendo had a $7 billion share value increase, today it's reached  $10 billion.

Paedophiles, lures and susceptible children: the UK tabloids take on Pokémon Go

The UK's newspapers, amid the maelstrom of the biggest political turmoil of modern times, have found a page or two to take on new mobile phenomenon Pokémon Go.

The papers that ask the toughest questions of the augmented reality game are those you'd expect: The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph each carry headlines that cast Pokémon Go in a worrying light.

Pokémon Go encourages players to hunt down imaginary critters located out in the real world. By exploring further you can discover new species and battle other players - and it's this social aspect of the game that has raised the collective eyebrow of news editors across the land.

"Is this the world's most dangerous game?" The Mail's headline wonders.

"Fears new Pokémon Go app craze could be used by paedophiles to lure unsuspecting young players," it continues.

The Mail points out that Pokémon Go has been linked to injuries, bad driving and opportunistic robberies.

But it also suggests Pokémon Go could be used by paedophiles to "trap" distracted children.

"But, more worryingly, there are now claims that the app could be used for something more sinister altogether - such as paedophiles using the 'lure' element of the game to trap distracted children," the paper reports.

Pokémon Go's lure feature, which we reported on yesterday, works, as you might expect, by attracting critters around your local area.

You can pay for lures yourself with in-game cash or via Pokémon Go's microtransactions. Alternatively, you can hang around while someone else nearby does the same. The Pokémon that spawn around the lure are visible to all players.

The Mail quotes the tweets of one person who expressed concern about the mechanic on the social media website. It also quotes the NSPCC, whose statement tallies with The Mail's angle.

Here's the statement:

• Given its massive popularity with children it's worrying that this game appears susceptible to being hijacked by those who may wish to harm them.
• When creating these games companies must consider the potential risks to young users and do everything they can to make sure their app doesn't put them in danger.
• Manufacturers can help protect children by giving them safety reminders about privacy and location controls and make it easy for them to report things that worry them. It is also important for parents to stay aware of what their children are using online and talk to them about how to stay safe.

It's this NSPCC statement that The Daily Telegraph bases its coverage upon. It carries the headline: "Pokémon Go game leaves children 'susceptible to being hijacked', NSPCC warns."

The paper claims Pokémon Go "poses a serious threat to youngsters' safety", and includes a box-out listing the risks of Pokémon Go. One mentions paedophiles.

Elsewhere, The Sun relegates the Pokémon Go story to a news-in-brief item on page 18, which carries the headline: "Pokemon game 'a kid threat'." The story is based on the same NSPCC statement.

Meanwhile, The Times claims gamers have been "duped into virtual danger zone".

The paper reports on "rather strange goings-on" that have occurred as a result of Pokémon Go's social gameplay. It mentions the story of three men from Missouri who were charged with armed robbery on Sunday night after police said they had used the game to entrap victims. There's no mention of paedophiles in The Times' report, rather, it focuses on the physical dangers posed by the game.

The Mirror takes a surprisingly positive approach, saying Pokémon Go's unexpected side effects are "great news for players". It focuses on the exercise players are enjoying as a result of chasing down Pokémon out in the real world.

"Video games, rightly or wrongly, are often associated with laziness - someone tucked away in their room, curtains drawn and surrounded by empty pizza boxes," The Mirror says.

"But Pokémon Go seems to be reinventing the way people view gaming."

The Express warns Pokémon Go players about hackers who are trying to trick users with an infected version of the app. The Express reports that with just a few adjustments in the phone's settings, Android users can grab the game from the ApkMirror ahead of the official release in the UK. But, the paper warns, doing so carries "a major security risk".

And finally, The Guardian takes a leaf out of the specialist games press' book and covers Pokémon Go with the likes of a starter guide for new players, an "everything you need to know" guide, and a feature that suggests it's kind of like a religion.

Of course, Pokémon Go itself warns users to always pay attention to their real-life surroundings when playing the game with an in-game message that pops up every time the game boots.

edgecrusher said:

Ok I'm tired of hearing about fucking Pokemon again like its 1999.

Grumpy old bastard.

Everyone here with an Android or iOS phone should download it, get out the house then come back and report all your stories about the rapists/muggers you've dodged and people you've met.

Elvis Duran the biggest over the air morning show in the country was taking calls of Pokemon go stories. This is insanity! I saw people setting lures at the park at 1am, the stops were lit up with activity. Now Japan stocks went up another 13% Nintendo is worth $13 more billion since last week!!!

Next week, San Francisco is going to have a Pokemon Go Crawl, which is a 3 mile trek from the coast to one of parks further in town. It has over 4000 people confirmed going, with over 19000 signed up.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1779733858973460/

This Pokemon Go craze is awesome! I love it!

Nintendo properties could easily gross $300+ million annually Variety: Wario mini-games, Advance Wars and other Nintendo properties

Dayuuum. Dat article.

travo said:

Lol, Pachter may be right, but in four months,Nntendo will have another 15 billion in the bank.

More than enough to make another last-gen console.