The Pokemon craze that surfaced back in the 90s has resurfaced after the release of “Pokemon Go” last week, and now people are walking around Nashville on their phones, searching for Pokemon.
“This guy looks like he’s playing, it’s so easy to recognize other players,” Joseph Catignani said. “You can just kind of see it in somebody. The way that they’re acting, looking around, checking hteir phone, looking back and forth.”
Catagnani downloaded the game shortly after it came out, and it quickly brought back memories of the original Pokemon game that was released in 1998 in the United States.
Pokemon Go has users to play through their phone, using an augmented reality, allowing players to see Pokemon they want to catch in front of landmarks all around Nashville, and the rest of the United States.
While the game seems like all fun and games, it has caused a few questionable moments for some users.
Catagnani said he had a run-in with a police officer the other night while playing Pokemon Go.
“I probably did look pretty suspicious,” Catignani admitted, adding that he was walking to a gas station in the middle of the night, catching Pokemon along the way when the officer pulled up. “He stops me and asks me what I’m doing, and I’m just like, ‘playing Pokemon?’ He was just so surprised, and when he realized that’s all I was doing, he just kind of laughed.”
While that situation brought forward no problems, that hasn’t been the case for all who play the game.
Over the weekend it was reported that someone used the app to lure people to a specific area, then robbed them at gunpoint. Luckily, police were able to arrest the people responsible for the crime.
In Nashville, police have had no reports of crime surrounding Pokemon Go, and authorities suggest that while playing the game, Tennesseans pay attention to their surroundings, and use common sense.
TDOT also put out a warning that people should not play the game while driving.
