The Pokemon craze swept across the US in the late 90’s and achieved a massive following, reaching fans through film, a television series, children’s games, and video games. Eventually, the successful brand, like most fads, hit its peak and its fan base began to dissipate. Until very recently the once beloved fictional characters seemed all but forgotten about.
As of July 2016 Pokemon did more than just make a comeback, a new Pokemon app has arguably become the most coveted virtual game of 2016, and within the first two weeks of its launch, the app is already attracting as many daily users as web powerhouses, like Twitter.
The new version of Pokemon, known as ‘Pokemon Go’ is a free mobile app (there are options to purchase add-ons that could become costly). Once the app is downloaded users create a distinct avatar to represent themselves in the game.
The app uses the camera and GPS on the user’s phone and places the user’s avatar in their current real-world location. Players must physically walk in order to move their avatar. The goal of the game is to catch ‘wild Pokemon’ that appear in various locations based on where the user is located.
If you or your children are using the ‘Pokemon Go’ app please remain aware of your surroundings. Distraction is deadly, if your eyes are glued to your phone as you focus on throwing a ‘Poke ball’ or winning a ‘Pokemon Gym’ battle you could fail to notice an oncoming vehicle or a stop sign, you could hurt another pedestrian, or end up with serious trip and fall injuries. Never venture, or allow your children to venture, to unknown or undisclosed areas. It’s always best to play in teams and during day light hours.
To learn more about dangers of distraction, including popular teen trends like Snapchat, click here.
Mr. Finkelstein is the Managing Partner of Finkelstein & Partners, LLP. He has become a noted consumer activist through his representation of injured individuals against corporate wrongdoers and irresponsible parties.
An accomplished litigator, Mr. Finkelstein has represented Plaintiffs in wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury cases. He has successfully handled dozens of multi-million dollar cases.