Search icon

Sport

10th Jul 2016

Police issue friendly warning to Australian Pokemon Go players

Word to the wise

Tom Victor

While British gamers wait for the official UK launch of Pokemon Go (or find workarounds to access the game), Australians are among those already able to search for Pikachus, Sandshrews and the like.

But some have been getting so engrossed in the game that it has been distracting them from more important matters. You know, like looking before crossing the road.

Police in Northern Territory, Australia, have reminded players that it might be “a good idea to look up, away from your phone and both ways before crossing the street.”

The warning comes after a number of Darwin residents have flocked to the city’s police station, which also acts as a Pokestop for the augmented reality game.

Pokemon Go has proved even more popular than developers anticipated, leading to huge strain on servers since it was rolled out last week.

That is part of the reason why its UK launch has been indefinitely held back, while Pokemon fans in other countries are being forced to play a similar waiting game.

In addition to these run-ins with the authorities, there was an altogether more worrying development in the United States as one player discovered a dead body while out playing the game.

JOE Snapchat logo