In case you don’t get how Pokémon works, you’re supposed to let the creatures fight each other on your behalf, not exchange fists for real.
Nonetheless, that didn’t stop two men from getting into a fist fight over the massively viral smartphone game. According to the police, they’ve made the first arrest related to Pokémon Go — just the latest incident surrounding the craze that’s taken hold since the game’s launch two weeks ago.
Officers had responded to a dispute that degenerated into a violent altercation between a pedestrian and a motorist at the entrance of the Plaza Singapura carpark last Sunday. What apparently happened was that the car driver honked at the pedestrian, who was playing Pokémon Go while crossing the road. Fierce words were exchanged, and they battled it out with Fighting-type attacks that presumably rivalled the likes of Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. Or not.
Both men now face up to a year in jail or a fine of $5,000 for the offence of affray, say the police. “While you #CatchEmAll, please do not endanger your life or personal safety, or cause inconvenience to those around you,” wrote the Singapore Police Force in their advisory:
Stay safe and take note of the following:
- Be aware of your personal safety when out looking for Pokémon. You should play in pairs or as a group to ensure your personal safety.
- Watch where you are walking, be aware of your surroundings and do not walk out onto roads without looking.
- Do not play the game and drive any vehicle or ride any personal mobility device at the same time. You cannot do both safely.
- Do not trespass onto restricted areas and private properties. Do not take pictures of restricted areas.
- Be aware that you are potentially sharing data with others; there could be potential criminals who may seek the opportunity to lure victims to their fake “Pokéstops”.
- Educate your children to stranger-danger at “Pokéstops”.
- Never reveal your personal information and watch out for fake apps or cheat tools. Cyber criminals can access your personal data to commit fraud or hack into your phone with viruses and malware.
Since the launch of Niantic/Nintendo’s viral Augmented Reality game, a car crash was allegedly caused, a floating corpse was found and typically aloof Singaporeans got together with strangers for the cause of catching ’em all.
