Pokémon Fans Angered by Removal of Key Feature - Dispatch Weekly

Pokémon Go, which launched on July 6 has removed a key feature, rather than fixing it, leaving fans disappointed after updates wiped out three weeks of gaming.

After downloading the game, the application then reset itself deleting past Pokémon catches. There were also glitches due to Google Maps.

According to the Pokémon Go News Twitter account, the update was meant to allow trainers to change their avatars, improve memory issues and fix issues with displaying certain map features.

Fans were angered when the step counter disappeared and there was no Pokémon in the Nearby box, resetting their accounts.

Although the app is free, there is a pay option for added features and some fans went to the game’s developer, Niantic to refund them.

According to DMP Stats, Pokémon Go has 20 million daily active users in the US alone.

Whilst the app continues to gain popularity, Niantic has warned fans to, “be alert at all times,” and not to “enter dangerous areas while playing Pokémon GO,” due to recent calamities and accidents.

Is Pokemon Go dangerous?

So far, Pokemon Goers have had some fatal mishaps including a player who crashed into a police car. Whilst driving in Baltimore on July 18 at 3:30am, “a Toyota Rad 4 struck one of the patrol cars that was at the location,” told a voiceover for the departmental video.

“The driver of the (Toyota) told investigators that he was looking down, playing Pokemon Go game when he struck the patrol car.”

Nobody was hurt but the driver commented, “That’s what I get for playing this dumb-ass game.”

In July two men fell off a cliff in Encinitas, San Diego, trying to chase Pokémon character. They were rescued after one man fell about 50 feet down the cliff and the other fell 80-90 feet down.

San Diego Sheriff’s department said that despite signs on the cliff, the men climbed over a fence.

Reddit user Amalthea told users how after thirty minutes of downloading the game he slipped and fell into a ditch, fracturing his foot.

Does Pokémon Go lead to Physical Attacks? 

Four teens in Missouri parked on a Pokémon hotpot and when players arrived at the spot, the teens robbed the gamers at gunpoint.

Last month, students playing Pokémon Go in Hulme, Manchester on a Friday night were robbed at knifepoint and told to handover their phones.

Greater Manchester Police warned users that the app could be a source of exploitation for criminals. They urged parents and teachers to talk to young people before they used the app.

Detective Superintendent Joanne Rawlinson said, “We Know that criminals move quickly to exploit the latest developments to target victims and Pokémon Go will already be in their sights.”

Safety Warnings by Pokémon Go

Due to the flurry of injuries, mishaps and accidents, the app has now launched a thorough warning for users including the advice: “You agree that your use of the App and play of the game is at your own risk, and it is your responsibility to maintain such health, liability, hazard, personal injury, medical, life, and other insurance policies.”

Although there have been media stories covering the dangerous aspects of the app, there are positive aspects, including: a British, 32 year-old man claiming he has lost 12 kilograms (28 pounds) after catching 142 Pokémon characters.

Another encouraging sign is that the app lets users interact with virtual and real world and has helped autism sufferers feel more comfortable when out in public.

By gamifying exercise, gamers are also more enthusiastic to go outside and interacting with their environments, which has helped overcome agoraphobia and other mental health issues.