WARNING — Pokomon Go

Pokomon Go appears to be a mere Cell Phone Game that also takes-over a Users Cell Phone Camera as they take pictures of various different Real Properties, Public or Private, as it directs other Players to physically go to that location to look for Pokomon or to find supplies needed for their search.

Thus, those who play this game are easily, and perhaps unwitting, sent to TRESPASS upon the real property of innocent Third-parties and hence under the guise, pretense, pretext or ruse of playing a Game massive numbers of people can be sent to a particular location to snoop and spy on the Property of others with their ‘Cameras running’ which gather first-hand images and information that are being sent back to the Owners / Creators of the game for their own personal, political, ideological or economic interest and use!  

Pokemon Go

POKEMON GO AND THE CRISIS ON AN INFINITELY AUGMENTED EARTH

Wassom.com – by Brian Wassom

downloadIn the classic comic book series Crisis on Infinite Earths, thousands of worlds collided. Prior to that title, virtually all of the various stories told and characters created by DC’s various comics were said to take place within parallel dimensions of the same universe. This convenient device allowed the “Golden Age” superhero stories from mid-century comic books to co-exist with later re-imaginings of the same characters without contradicting each other. When Crisis brought the walls between dimensions tumbling down, however, multiple versions of the same characters began occupying the same space, with predictably chaotic results.

Our world has begun to experience a similar phenomenon. Augmented reality games encourage players to travel throughout the real world and enable them to interact with digital characters and objects programmed to appear as if they exist at specific points in physical space. The appeal of this gaming mechanic is evident from the sci-if game Ingress, released a few years ago, and the massively popular new AR app Pokemon GO.

Just like the Crisis character HarbingerPokemon GO heralds a coming onslaught of similar AR games that will blend our physical world with their own particular brand of creative content. The downside of augmented gaming, however, is that, in real life, there is only one physical world, and all of these games must share it. The more such games are released, the more crowded our reality is going to get.crisis_on_infinite_earths_01_wraparound

I’ve written about several of the repercussions of AR gaming over the past few years, both in this blog and in multiple chapters of my 2015 book, Augmented Reality Law, Privacy, and Ethics. They include competition between players of various games for use of the same physical spaces–conflicts that could disrupt the ability of players and non-players alike to enjoy the venue, and even lead to violence. (This problem is already highlighted by the fact that both Ingress and Pokemon GO were released by the same company–the Google spinoff Niantic–and both use public buildings and landmarks as the default locations for their digital objects.) I discussed this in Chapter 6 of my book:

Imagine, then, what would happen if another AR game with a completely different vibe and culture were to superimpose itself over the same physical locations used by Ingress players. … If two overlapping games – say, a techno-thriller mystery and a Dance Dance Revolution-esque flash mob – require players to show up at the same times and places, clashes of personality are bound to ensue.

Now multiply that scenario by a dozen, a hundred, or even a thousand. The beauty of AR is that an infinite series of digital experiences can be overlain atop the same physical place, but that will sometimes prove to be its bane as well. Like loquacious moviegoers, the way in which some people enjoy one augmented experience in a place may be inherently disruptive to someone else’s ability to appreciate a different digital experience in the same place.

It’s also easy to see how the owners of the physical real estate in question could take issue with (or, if they’re savvy, profit from) crowds of players using the space to play invisible games. There are already several businesses, and even churches. on both sides of the fence withPokemon GO.

This is probably one reason Niantic prefers to locate its content on public land–although, as I’vewritten, that will soon raise its own share of questions about the limits of First Amendment protections when augmenting public spaces.

We’ve also already seen run-ins between Ingress players and police officers understandably perplexed by what seems to non-players like odd behavior. At least one player gained notoriety after he was detained for loitering outside a police station to play the game. Other law enforcement agencies soon had similar Ingress-related experiences. At least one Pokemon GOplayer has likewise already been questioned by police, and law enforcement officers around the world are warning gamers not to play at police stations.

AR games raise myriad other concerns as well, including decreased employee productivitytrespass, players stumbling across crime scenescriminals targeting players, and risks to minors. (Of course, there are upsides as well–including introducing couch potatoes to exercise.) Perhaps the most obvious, and likely the most common, drawback of AR gaming, though, is the risk of personal injury. Until smart eyewear becomes commonplace, the only means players will have to access augmented worlds are their mobile devices. Wandering through the physical world while staring through a phone screen is a recipe for running into things.

Does this mean AR games should be avoided, or even banned?  By no means. As with every innovation before them, society will adapt. It remains to be seen, however, precisely where we’ll draw the lines of propriety and legality around the use of such games. That’s an ongoing task in which I, as a lawyer, look forward to participating.

Found on imgur:

Found this on my desk at work this morning

http://www.wassom.com/6316.html

7 thoughts on “WARNING — Pokomon Go

  1. http://www.wftv.com/news/local/pokemon-go-players-trespassing-while-playing-game/397963638
    Pokemon Go players trespassing while playing game
    Updated: Jul 12, 2016 – 6:27 PM

    Pokemon Go players trespassing while playing gamehttp://at.wftv.com/29ubSYE

    ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Eyewitness News has learned Pokemon Go gamers have been entering areas where they’re not welcome, and some are even breaking the law to get there.

    A Winter Garden couple told Channel 9’s Lauren Seabrook that people have been crawling under and even cutting through their fence to capture Pokemon characters. The couple own 50,000 acres of private property and are not sure how many characters have been placed there.

    Related Headlines

    Pokemon Go keeps tabs on you as you chase down Pikachu

    ‘Pokemon Go’ may have access to your full Google account

    Police: Robbers used ‘Pokemon Go’ to lure victims
    Read: What is Pokémon Go?

    Watch: People trespassing while playing Pokemon Go game

    The man, who didn’t want to reveal his identity, told Eyewitness News that he’s frustrated over the damage and even worried about what could happen to someone willing to trespass.

    He said property owners have the right to protect their property and he hopes gamers never get mistaken for burglars.

    The Pokemon Go’s website tells users to “adhere to the rules of the human world.” The game also tells people to not trespass.

    Click: The ultimate guide to Pokémon Go hunting in Central Florida

    READ: How to get your property removed from Pokémon game

    Nintendo who operates the game did not return our phone calls, but Eyewitness News did find a form on how people can get a property removed from the game.

    Eyewitness News contacted neighboring law enforcement to see if it has had problems with trespassing calls involving Pokemon.

    Sanford police said it had a report of a suspicious person, which turned out to be just someone chasing a Pokemon character.

    © 2016 Cox Media Group.

  2. Anyone stupid enough to play “Poke-your-mom” should be in diapers in a daycare center. I thought geocaching was foolish enough, wasting gasoline, wear-n-tear on your vehicle all to track down a Tupperware container with a stupid log book and an action figure or some other trinket inside.

  3. Circus for the masses. And we have to pay to take care of them. Maybe Rothschild and Prince Philip are correct when they say they want to de-populate the planet.

  4. I was wondering how long it would take before someone in the alternative media would bring up an article on this. I’ve been dealing with this all week with my employees and even co-managers. It’s gotten completely out of control. It’s like a serpent that comes up to you and tempts you saying, “Come on…Join us.”

    It makes me feel like I’m in a mixture of the movie, “Idiocracy” and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”.

    It’s like a virus spreading from one employee to the next. When I see another person glued to their phone and ask what they are doing, I just look at them and say, “Oh no, not you too.”

    Unfrigginbelievable what this world has become!

    It’s like a zombie virus and they don’t even know they’ve been brainwashed or infected. I REFUSE REFUSE REFUSE to be a part of it.

    Also, it’s a Google app and that alone says it all. SPYWARE! And the people fall for this new fad hook line and sinker like a bunch of sheeple headed towards the ditch without hesitation.

    I truly can’t believe what this world has become.

  5. “Thus, those who play this game are easily, and perhaps unwitting, sent to TRESPASS upon the real property of innocent Third-parties and hence under the guise, pretense, pretext or ruse of playing a Game massive numbers of people can be sent to a particular location to snoop and spy on the Property of others with their ‘Cameras running’ which gather first-hand images and information that are being sent back to the Owners / Creators of the game for their own personal, political, ideological or economic interest and use!”

    Yep. Immediately what I thought too when I first heard about this game. I immediately thought the words, “Google” and “Spyware”. This is definitely a tracking app for the sheeple.

    As a matter of fact, there have been stories of people finding dead bodies in a river with this app while tracking a pokemon and even a bunch of robbers used it to rob people who they knew would be at a certain location looking for one.

    It’s a trap! Don’t get sucked. You might as well be putting a bullet to the back of your head as you follow a pokemon into a ditch.

Join the Conversation

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


*