pokemon go

Despite being promoted as a largely social experience that would get users up and out of their seats, Pokémon Go might be promoting antisocial tendencies. New studies are finding that the game is giving players “pavement rage,” meaning feelings of anger spike when they run into other players on the street. 

“Analysis showed players experience unconscious spikes in anger and frustration when they encounter other members of the public while hunting down the fictional characters in the game,” according to The Daily Mail. “The research also revealed just how immersive the game could be — with one participant in the study almost walking into the path of an oncoming truck.”

via Reddit

Basically, the study found that people think that they are being social and active when playing, but as neuroscience analyst Adam Simpson say, “On an unconscious level, they were so engrossed in the game they missed out on stuff that was going on in the real world around them.”

"When they encountered a large group of people in their way, for example, they showed a lot of frustration as members of public were disrupting their playing experience.”

Word to the wise: You can become the best Pokémon Master in the land, but remember, it’s lonely at the top.

Pokémon GO developers, Niantic, have been infamous for poor changes and slow response since the games release. It finally looks like we're seeing a trend in a postive direction, but does it come too late?

Niantic is finally adding rewards for trainers that play the app every day, offering bonuses for catching pokemon and hitting pokestops daily.  

• Catching a Pokémon every day: 500 additional experience points and 600 stardust.
• Catching a Pokémon seven days in a row:  2,000 experience points and 2,400 stardust.
• Visiting a Pokéstop daily:  500 experience points and more items.
  
  
• Visiting a Pokestop 7 days in a row: 2,000 experience points and more items.

On top of this we're pleased to report that the once popular 3rd party Pokemon trackers are back up and running. We have no idea why Niantic saw fit to block these applications out in the first place, all they did was add to the excitement and scope of the game. 

It's nearly here!




The new Pokémon Go! Plus wearable is for sale Sept. 16th and though it's currently sold out on Amazon.com, you can keep an eye on it's availability here.


As for how it works,






At $35.99, the new wearable is cheaper than a new Apple watch and compatible with both Android and iOS devices. In the package, you should get both the device and an initial wrist strap, but you can also accessorize your Go Plus with Shield Skins and even a cool Power Bank to make your hunts longer.

Once it's released there should be a TON of third-party sites selling skins, alternative wrist straps, and accessories for it. From the looks of the pretty basic design, you can also probably pretty easily DIY your own wrist strap.





You can also just look super cool hanging it out of your shirt pocket--sans accessories--too:




So get out there and catch some Pokémon! Happy Hunting!

This August Ruslan Sokolovsky recorded himself while playing Pokémon GO inside Church of All Saints in Yekaterinburg, after having been made aware such activity within the church could result in jail time...

“How can one offend by entering a church with a smartphone?” Sokolovsky asked. “I decided to just catch some Pokemon in church because, why not? I believe it’s both safe and not prohibited by law. Let’s go.”

Well, fast forward to after Sokolovsky posted the video he was investigated by police, and shortly thereafter charged with inciting hatred and offending religious sensibilities. He's being detained for two months, and stands to face up to five years in jail.

What do you guys think, does the punishment fit the crime here?

A clever ad campaign has caught Londoners attention by threatening to deport Pokémon Go! characters as a ploy for getting attention for a petition demanding that EU Citizens be allowed to stay in the UK with the same rights as pre-BREXIT had allowed them. The signs were spotted all over London Monday, from the London Eye to Tube Stations:




The #POKEMONGOHOME Campaign has garnered a ton of attention...









So even though we love and adore THESE guys...





...Go Sign The Petition to guarantee EU Nationals a right to remain in the UK, because people are definitely better than freakin' Pidgeys.

Gary Dear, owner of Mad Hatter's Ice Cream in Anacortes found himself situated in the middle of a maddening Pokémon GO mecca. Eager players have flocked from miles and miles away to his shop, where there are three Poké Stops located nearby---many end up getting ice cream after their journeying around.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expected it to end up like this," said Dear. "I've never seen anything take off like this."

Dear even estimates that his store's sales have doubled, if not tripled, on certain nights when the Poké Madness runs wild.

The "High Council of Virtual Spaces" --which sounds more like a Reddit Moderator group than anything remotely official-- has declared Pokémon GO! illegal in Iran over "security concerns." Iran is the first place the game is now illegal because Jigglypuff is apparently SO SCARY.






Well, I guess Iranians can always go on vacation.

Spain has been hit so hard by the Pokémon Go craze that travel agencies are seeking to cash in on the global phenomenon with specialised tours.

Junior Travel's tours will drive customers around in a bus and giving them expert guidance on hunting Pokémon for (only?) up to €43 a day.

Another Spanish tour operator, Felices Vacaciones, offers an 11-night travel package to the US for €1,695; one of the only countries where you can hunt for Tauros.

An thus, Poketourism was born...

(Photo: AFP)

A fire department hailing out of Needville, Texas was recently forced to remove their status as a PokéStop due to public safety concerns; and the events that ensued after (slashing of tires) are being blamed on Pokémon GO players. What do you guys think---this a fair and warranted claim by the fire department?

Yep, a Pokemon monster got into hot (holy) water with a Russian-Orthodox church in Vienna. Raa666 made its appearance in the middle of the orthodox sanctuary.

Toni Faber, the head priest at the church pointed out that Raa666 (or any other creature in Pokemon Go) is not welcome in the church.

That's not very christian, if you ask me...

The photo of the locus delicti: St Nicholas Cathedral

the train decorated with Pokémon Go branding, the route has been specially designed to give players the optimum Pokémon experience.

To make it easier for you to catch all Pokémons, you can take the Pokémon train in Dusseldorf, Germany.

It will take you on a three-hour route to the city's best locations for catching Pokémons. The train even drives slowly to allow the eggs to hatch.

Photo: Hanna Gerwig)

Now it's Pokémon's turn! Watch the Pikachus hunting down players with Pokéballs.

The hilarious clip is clever marketing from the Swiss City of Basel. The local tourist board uses Pokéstops at famous places for sightseeing tours (https://www.basel.com/en/Pokemon).

No matter the reason, it's hilarious, especially the reaction of the guy falling into the fountain!

Each year, Japan welcomes summer spectacular fireworks. This year, even a Poke Ball showed up to the delight of spectators. Simply brilliant!

(Photo:Otanew)

As noted by Archangelus on Reddit, Vaporeon's go-to move Water Gun has been nerfed from from its previous power of 10, to 6. See in the screenshot below, provided by Alex Zandra:



Thing that's kind of awkward though is that at the same time, Vaporeon's Hydro Pump was deffinitely buffed -- 50% increase.

The Mayor of Dusseldorf has blocked off a bridge in the city so that players can catch pocket monsters in safety.

The Girardet bridge has Pokestops at either end and is a hotspot for players, with people coming from as far away as Holland to get in on the action!