Four things that we did not expect from Pokemon Go

If you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks you may not know about the insanely popular augmented reality game that you play on your phone. Pokemon Go has been so successful in its very short existence thus far; with over 30 million downloads and 35 million US Dollars in revenue from the game. But as is typical with technology, we can never truly anticipate the effect something will have until it is out there in the world. There sure have been some weird, wacky and rather interesting happenings that have arisen from Pokemon Gos popularity. Today we review four of these things.

1) Pokemon Go betting

An unexpected response to the hype of Pokemon Go has been in the betting industry; with bets regarding Pokemon Go can be made. These include bets regarding whether the app will have more users than Twitter by the end of the year, and locations where legendary Pokemon will first be spotted. If you are looking for a good mobile betting app you can find one here and visit site.

2) Inappropriate places for playing

The game assigns landmarks as Pokestops as they are easy to find, such as parks or schools. However, there are some places that have been assigned as Pokestops that are not appropriate for gameplay. These include places of religious worship, cemetaries and most notably; the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. In a museum commemorating those who perished in the Holocaust, it is a rather inappropriate location to be playing such a game.

3) The unintended benefits for people with mental health problems

Something interesting that has arisen in the Pokemon Go obsession is that this game has had some unintended benefits for people who struggle with mental health conditions. Many people who suffer from illnesses such as depression and social anxiety have taken to social media and the internet in general, to praise the game for having such a positive impact on their lives as it has helped them interact with others and leave the safety of their houses.

4) Interesting reactions from different countries

It is interesting to note the different reactions regarding Pokemon Go from various countries and how they have chosen to deal with it. In South Korea you cannot play the Game in most of the country as it is based on data acquired from Google maps, and this is restricted by their government as there are certain security issues. However, there is a tiny town named Sokcho which just misses the restricted area of mapping; making it the only place in South Korea where you can play the game. This has resulted in people flocking to the small seaside town to play the game. Busses from Seoul to Sokcho are sold out in advanced and many bus companies have deployed more busses to account for the increase in demand. However, in Saudi Arabia, the government has responded to the game by ruling it illegal under a Fatwa. The reason behind this? The Arab Kingdom feels that the values of the game are at odds with Islam and that it promotes evolution.