While Pokemon GO isn’t yet out in Japan, the country’s bureaucrats are already warning people about necessary safety precautions.
[Image via The Pokemon Company]
As reported by The Japan Times, where I am a columnist, the National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC) under the Cabinet Office put out a nine-point bulletin warning people of possible problems surrounding the game. Most of it is rather sensible, and the government is asking people to share this info with other players, especially younger ones.
[Image via NISC]
The warning recommended that players protect their privacy by not using their real names or posting photos of or near their homes, bring a backup battery in case they need to contact someone in an emergency, avoid getting heatstroke during the hot weather and stay out of dangerous areas.
“In countries where the game has already been launched, various incidents have been reported, including users getting run over by a car, falling into a pond, getting bitten by a snake and getting robbed,” wrote the NISC (via The Japan Times).
It also warned of fake apps, cheat tools and walking while using one’s phone. In the past, people have accidentally walked off train platforms in Japan, so that last one is a very real concern.
[Image via NISC]
“We are worried that enthused users could get into trouble or in accidents,” JR West President Tatsuo Kijima told the paper. “Use of smartphones while walking is a major cause of accidents on train platforms. We have asked passengers, over and over again, not to use smartphones while walking.”
The bulletin also advised players to download a weather app to check the day’s forecast.
Comments
5 responses to “Japanese Government Issues Pokemon GO Safety Warnings”
I know everyone’s excited, but this isn’t the first mobile game, society won’t collapse when it’s released.
Yeah, it’s not like there hasn’t been an increase of people doing stupid things while using their phone since this game came out…
People were already being mugged, shot at, or crashed into. It only became news when pokemon go could be thrown into the mix.
People are always stupid.
No such thing as stupid video games just stupid people.
I agree that people have always and will always be stupid. There have also been more stupid people doing stupid things while using their phone since Pokemon Go came out. I have literally observed this, not just from news articles.
Seems to be dying down a bit now that it’s been out a couple weeks.