Pokemon GO, an Appealing Hazard

The hazards of playing Pokemon GO and how to avoid them.

As the new smartphone game Pokemon GO continues its popular craze and takes over the gaming market, I can’t help but wonder if it’s safe to play.

As a player of the game myself, I have had a few encounters already, Pokemon included. I play the game whilst I take my two dogs out for a walk, 3 times a day. However, I have lost sight of my dogs at one point and also nearly stepped on something not so nice during the dog walks. So, I’ve taken a look and observed the public within the last 7 days, here are the risks of playing the game and how to stay safe.

There’s a reason this game is so popular, it’s had appeal and attention from the public almost immediately, but it’s important to learn the risks involved:

The risks

• The game is designed to bring people together. Usually strangers, so it’s always recommended you’re with a friend whilst playing, in case you get lost.
• There’s a physical risk too, it’s easy to forget to look where you’re going with this game (hence my recent unfortunate dog walks) but you need to be careful of where you are going, keep your eyes open and focused on your surroundings.
• It can cost a lot of money, for a while now apps appear to be free, however they all have in app purchases and on occasion (depending on its appeal) these purchases can cost the user a heavy pound. Make sure the app is set up without payment options to avoid this.

Top tips for staying safe whilst playing Pokemon GO.

Stay safe and take care whilst playing Pokemon GO

• Explore together. For younger children, you might want to play the game together, and explore how it works. Older children may want to play alone, but there are still risks.
• Rules may need to be implemented, talk about the risks of meeting strangers and ending up in areas they don’t know.
• Set some boundaries such as:
  Take a battery pack, the game drains phone batteries and this way you’ll always have charge on your phone to call someone. Try and always stay with friends and watch out for others to avoid the rare aggressive gamer.

No game is perfect but this really is a special game. Pokemon GO has adapted a clever yet modern way of combining social play with exercise. It may have its flaws in its server crashes and its playing risks, but as long as the above tips are followed you can be a part of Pokemon GO’s huge success.

So be safe and go catch them all.

Connor Chadwick