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Pokémon Go Sparks A Nationwide Phenomenon, Including Exercise And Crime

Pokémon Go has become the new viral phenomenon to hit the country – so much so that it has apparently been responsible for some very strange incidents.

Released in the US Thursday, Pokémon Go is a game from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company that is available on both iPhone and Android smartphones. From the popular Japanese animation and video game of the same name, Pokémon Go takes smartphone games to a whole new level of interesting with its use of augmented reality.

Much like the classic game where players catch and train Pokémon creatures, the new Pokémon Go uses a map powered by GPS, with real-life locations.

The Pokémon will appear to have been spotted in the real world, as players use the map to spot the creatures and collect items. When a player finds a Pokémon, the smartphone’s camera opens, giving the player a view of what the Pokémon looks like. Players then flick a Poké Ball towards the creature to “capture” it.

There are also Poké Stops on the map, pinned to real locations where players can get items. From groceries to landmarks, the number and kind of stops vary from the normal to the bizarre. Once Pokémon are trained, they can then be taken to gyms to battle other players’ Pokémon.

Since the game hit the stores, avid Pokémon Go players have realized that the game has allowed them to spend more time outdoors and, in an ironic twist for a video game that has been criticized for turning people into couch potatoes, forced people to exercise more. Tweets from players show just how much people playing the game have been walking in parks and neighborhoods, with one Twitter user commenting that the game “got more kids to do exercise in 24 hours then Michelle Obama did in 8 years.”

The game has caught national attention because Pokémon really are everywhere, from bathrooms, strip clubs, party venues, parks, landmarks, statues – even an abandoned hot dog stand. And the Poké Stops are just as interesting, with churches and malls a big favorite. Some private residences have been designated as gyms as well, with one Massachusetts resident remarking on Twitter that he has been counting the number of people stopping by his house with their eyes on their phones.

Pokémon Go has even led to the discovery of a dead body in Wyoming, as a player found a body lying in a river while out looking for Pokémon, according to KTRK. The game has even spurred on a small crime spree, as four teenagers were arrested in Missouri for taking advantage of Poké Stops to lure and rob players, reports The Guardian.

Meanwhile, police officers in Duvall, Washington, are not amused that their precinct has been designated a Poké Stop. A Facebook post from the station said that, “We have had some people playing the game behind the PD, in the dark, popping out of bushes, etc.” which they say is “not cool.”

Pokémon Go is available for download on iTunes and the Google Play Store for those who want to try their hand at it.

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