Since its release, Pokemon GO has managed to take the world by storm, dominating charts on app stores and it has already been downloaded more than 100 million times on the Google Play Store alone. While it has managed to reap high profits for its developer, Niantic Labs, the game has also managed to cause problems. The augmented reality game has managed to cause injuries, unaware Pokemon trainers to get robbed and the game has even resulted in deaths. The latest incident originates from Japan which happens to be the home country of Pokemon. In the latest unfortunate incident, a Japanese truck driver who was playing Pokemon GO while driving, knocked down two women, which resulted in the death of one woman.
According to a spokesman for the Tokushima prefectural police, the driver told police that he was distracted by the game which resulted in the accident, killing one woman and injuring the other. This happens to be Japan’s first death related to Pokemon GO. The driver was arrested after the incident for negligent driving and is currently still in custody. However, no decision has been made on whether prosecution of the driver will proceed. A spokesman from Nintendo has offered condolences to the family of the deceased woman. Nintendo partly owns the Pokemon Company. On top of that, the spokesman also mentioned that Niantic Labs and the Pokemon Company strive to create a safe environment for Pokemon trainers to enjoy playing Pokemon GO.
News outlet, Reuters, has been told by a spokesman from Niantic Labs that the company has added a pop-up to the Pokemon GO screen which will appear if it is detected that the Pokemon trainer is going over a certain speed, asking for confirmation whether or not the user is currently driving. The popularity of the game is at its peak and this has caused public places all around the world to be filled with Pokemon trainers trying to catch Pokemon’s. This has become a nuisance for authorities in some parts of the world. In Japan, authorities have placed signs at parks and other public places, asking Pokemon trainers to not cause any nuisance.