Police stopped a car in Reykjanesbær yesterday for driving against traffic along a one-way street, DV reports. The driver confessed he had been so immersed in his search for Pokémon with his girlfriend that he failed to notice traffic signs.
Many Icelanders are fascinated by the mobile game Pokémon Go, worrying police, who remind motorists of the danger involved in using your phone at the wheel. The game involves using your cell phone to seek out and catch Pokémon characters in the real world, 151 species of them.
The setting for the video game characters combines the virtual and the real worlds. The goal is to catch as many Pokémon monsters as you can. As you move about, your smart phone vibrates once you approach one of the monsters. Luckily, these so-called monsters are neither of flesh nor blood, nor can they be seen but on a screen. They are, instead, mere images which appear on the player’s screen as his or her phone approaches certain GPS coordinates.
A statement from the Southwest Iceland police reads, “It’s the middle of summer and there are many children and adults out walking in the streets and on sidewalks, and it’s insane to think of people at the wheel, hunting for Pokémon.”
Fans see the game as a way to spend time outdoors with family and friends, strolling about. Others regard it as a way to meet new people through a common interest in catching monsters. Enthusiasm for the game has spread worldwide since it first came out in the US on July 6.
For a historical background on the species of monster called Pokémon, visit vox.com.
