Does the Pokemon Go app create an unsafe environment for those who play during late hours?

Christopher Loggins

Although DeKalb can become unsafe at times, I don’t think the playing of the Pokemon Go app wll create too much of a problem in the community. If anything, I think it promotes a way for those who are living in the area to communicate with each other, something we don’t always see. Being out late at night can be harmful despite what area you reside in, but DeKalb is a pretty quiet and peaceful place most of the time.

I personally have not downloaded or played the game, but I haven’t seen or heard anyone complain about any troubles. From personal experience, I can attest that I’ve never had too much of a problem walking around the area in the wee hours of the night, but I understand where concern for others comes from.

I don’t think the game will remain popular long enough for it to become a substantial issue. It seems like a fad that’ll be replaced by the next big thing in the next few months, but it’s exciting to see how it has brought people together.

Madison Kacer: News Editor

Just as the game warns players upon opening the app: the trick is being aware of your surroundings. Generally, if players abide by this rule, they won’t compromise the safety of themselves or others.

If players don’t use this rule of thumb, an unsafe environment can potentially be promoted at night. But this environment is being promoted by the user, not the game. Furthermore, if the player is aware of his or her surroundings, but still chooses to play in unsafe or illegal areas, trouble is likely to arise.

For example, if a user is playing late at night and enters private property, there’s definite potential for an unsafe environment. Because the owner of the property may not see that the trespasser is playing the game, the owner may take this issue into his or her own hands.

It’s hard to say whether players will be keen on using their discretion while playing the game late at night, but let’s just say I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for an influx of police reports.

Jay Ibarra: Scene Editor

The warnings that the app gives its users are so scare. In my opinion, the brand really has to target their audience better in order to prevent greater amounts of accidents from happening. Pokemon Go has a wide variety of audiences of all ages and just telling users to “stay aware of [their] surroundings” is obviously not that effective. We’re seeing press releases from police stations world wide within the first week of Pokemon Go’s launch date promoting exterior safety and asking users to not play alone. This is something that the Nintendo app should be doing itself, right upon opening the app. After playing the game myself for several hours and days on end, I understand how this game becomes unsafe into the late hours. I have first hand watched people trip over curbs, stop into the middle of the road because that is exactly where they found their Pokemon and I’ve even heard testimonies of people who don’t intentionally mean to hunt long and late into the night.