– A man tries to rob a Pokemon Go player and gets more than he bargained for
A group of six people were in Gary Reese Freedom Park, a Las Vegas park about 4 a.m. Monday, on the perpetual quest to catch ’em all. The park is considered a hotspot for Magikarp.
While they were seeking Pokémon, two men drove up in an SUV, seeking the players belongings. The SUV’s passenger pulled out a pistol and demanded the group’s possessions. But one of the Pokémon Go players had more than just a Pokéball – he had a concealed-carry permit and was carrying his own pistol.
The two began firing at each other. One of the players was struck – it is unclear which, though – one time in the stomach. A man thought to be the gun-wielding passenger in the SUV was also treated for a gunshot wound, the Associated Press reported.
Las Vegas police spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said both injuries are non-life threatening.
Police are investigating.
– The Israel Defense Forces will never catch ’em all
Pokemon Go isn’t popular everywhere. The Israel Defense Forces banned the game on military property and has ordered all soldiers and officers to stop playing it on base immediately.
The IDF was apparently concerned that the game in which people walk around catching fake, animated creatures on their smartphone could be used to compromise military operations.
The Jerusalem Post reported, “Military sources said they had become aware of another application that ‘looks and acts like the original [Pokémon Go] application, which causes data to be leaked out.’
Looks as if they’ll have to stick to Candy Crush.
– Finding Yuri
It’s estimated that Pokémon Go has reached more than 75 million downloads in the few weeks that it has been available in the United States.
For comparison, as Pokémon noted, the dating app Tinder reached 100 million downloads this January, and it was released in 2012.
It’s so popular that Hillary Clinton held a campaign event at a Pokémon Go gym, a virtual destination in the game, while Donald Trump used the game as the basis for a bizarre attack ad.
Now, Russia’s getting in on the fun. It’s about time, because the game isn’t available yet in the country because of service capacity issues.
Unfortunately for Moscow-based Pokémon fans, they’re getting a slightly . . . err . . . modified game.
Moscow City Hall announced its own version of Pokémon Go, in which players will have to find and catch historical figures in the city. It’s called “Know Moscow. Photo.”
It will be released in August, according to the Moscow Times, and players will be able to “catch” such historical figures as Yuri Gagarin, the first human to reach outer space; Alexander Pushkin, the Russian poet, playwright and novelist; and even Napoleon Bonaparte, the French conqueror (and namesake of the colloquialism “Napoleon complex,” which refers to a supposed inferiority felt by shorter people).
– A London tutor quits teaching to become a full-time Pokémaster
Twenty-six-year-old Sophia Pedraza raked in 2,000 pounds a month (about $2600.00) tutoring children in North London. She has considered other career paths – she has a law degree, after all.
But two weeks ago, her aspirations veered in an entirely different direction. Pokémon Go’s catch-phrase is “gotta catch ’em all.” Well, Pedraza really does, if she wants to eat, because she quit her job to play the game full time. Pedraza, who told the Sun she sometimes plays for up to 18 hours a day, said she plans to eventually sell her accounts on eBay.
“My mum thinks I’m mad, but she’s coming round to the idea,” Pedraza told the Sun.
It might seem insane, but players have sold their accounts before. Because a player would have to travel to various parts of the country to catch all of the Pokémon in the game, some folks choose to simply buy accounts that have already caught them.
Twenty-one-year-old Hieu Huynh of Silver Spring, Md., for example, recently paid $100 for an account.
“I can’t catch the good Pokémon,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “I don’t have time to go that far.”
As of early Tuesday morning, an account listed on eBay had 17 bids and had reached $202.
Selling accounts in online games has a long-standing precedent. Shane Jeffery in Portland, Ore., told the paper he earns about $65,000 a year by buying and reselling World of Warcraft accounts.
– See you in court
Albert Wang has to appear in court Oct. 6 for taking a late-night stroll to a Pokémon gym.
The 37-year-old stockbroker and self-described “active Pokémon player” owns a four-story house in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. It lacks air conditioning, so he likes to take late-night walks.
He did just that Wednesday, deciding to catch some Pokémon about 1:30 a.m. He walked into Fort Greene park, planning to visit the gym that’s located on the 108-year-old Prison Ship Martyr’s Monument, which honors 11,500 American soldiers who died in the Revolutionary War.
“I was playing Pokémon Go and just staring at what was going on,” Wang told Gothamist. “An officer . . . walked up to me and asked who I was. He told me that the park is closed. I said: ‘Okay, I didn’t know that. I’ll just leave.’ He said, ‘No, you’re coming with us.'”
Wang received a $50 ticket for being in the park after closing. Because it’s a criminal summons, he has to appear in court.
“I think the NYPD made a joke out of themselves, to be honest,” Wang told Gothamist. “I thought this was a very draconian approach to a very minor violation.”
(c) 2016, The Washington Post · Travis M. Andrews
