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Cops Warn Pokemon Go Players: Please Don't Trespass To Catch 'em All (arstechnica.com) 141

Posted by msmash from the common-sense dept.
An anonymous reader shares an Ars Technica report:Law enforcement agencies around the globe are reminding citizens to obey trespassing laws and follow common sense when playing Pokemon Go. The new crazy-popular mobile game has led to some frightening results in recent days, such as the location of a dead body and robberies of players in Missouri. Now, San Francisco Police Department Captain Raj Vaswani warned in one online posting for players to "obey traffic laws, please. Do not run into trees, meters, and things that are attached to the sidewalk; they hurt," he said. "Do not drive or ride your bike / skateboard / hipster techie device while interacting with the app. Know where your kids are going when playing with the app, set limits on where they can go, so they don't keep going trying to get that Pokemon."
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Cops Warn Pokemon Go Players: Please Don't Trespass To Catch 'em All More

Cops Warn Pokemon Go Players: Please Don't Trespass To Catch 'em All

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  • I don't understand these warnings. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by LiENUS ( 207736 ) <slashdot AT vetmanage DOT com> on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @01:42PM (#52498651) Homepage

    Yeah I'm not getting these warnings. Until the pokemon comes out of hiding you can't tell where they are so trespassing to find them makes no sense. Then once they're out of hiding you tap to bring up the capture screen. There's no need to get closer to capture em. So why would trespassing even come up?

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Calydor ( 739835 )

      It is 'that one spot' you haven't checked yet, I guess.

      Ever run through any maze game looking for that one last enemy, or chest, or whatever else may be in a limited but known quantity?

    • Re:I don't understand these warnings. (Score:4, Informative)

      by Quantus347 ( 1220456 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @01:53PM (#52498737)
      There is a "Nearby" readout that tells you what's close, and it operates on a 0-3 footprint scale. It's essentially a hot/cold game, so you can triangulate enough to work out the proper direction and relative distance until it does actually appear. There is also the fact that they appear in close to the same spot for everyone (within a certain time window) so if somebody else spotted one down a given dark alley, odds are you will too.
    • You need to be <30m to interact w/a gym or pokestop (portals from ingress) and many of these are behind fences or on private property. Lots of players feel compelled to hop a fence or trespass to get within interaction distance. There are some nearby my work that are in active construction zones and I've seen players try to dodge bulldozers to snag a gym in the middle of the pit.

      Maybe change the motto to "You don't literally gotta catch em ALL"

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Why didn't they make local city parks the Gyms?

        Think of the good press they would get: "Kids flock to parks thanks to Nintendo"!

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Yvan256 ( 722131 )

          That would be a lot better than a future newspaper with the headline "Kid killed on a construction site by a bulldozer".

          • I think that someone should come up with a catchy Pokemon style name for a character based upon Darwin. Then, we can hold the annual Pokemon Darwin awards as these fools get themselves killed chasing nothing..

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by cfalcon ( 779563 )

          This is exactly what they did.

      • Do the gyms & pokemon locations change from day to day (or sporadically)?

        In other words, does one end up collecting all of them from a certain area, and HAVE to go to new physical locations?

        I'm just wondering if for example someone walks the same route to work every day, if they could keep getting something new out of the game.

        • I've been playing for a week and on my route to work encounter a lot of the same pokemon in the same places. I find a lot of rat and snake ones in grassy areas, water types along a creek, etc. There are rare pokemon that you only see once in a great while, and there seems to be a time of day component. Hasn't gotten too repetitive yet.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mysidia ( 191772 )

        It would be best for them to create a capability for some areas to be marked as "No Go zones"

        Then give certain members in the local area an ability to mark them.

        Also, ideally, the actual Streets and roads should be marked as "No Play" areas

        Just make them like 'Lava' that gradually drains HP if you are running the game in a moving vehicle, or while located on a road or street.

    • Yeah I'm not getting these warnings.

      You may not as long as you know the limit of how to play the game.

      Until the pokemon comes out of hiding you can't tell where they are so trespassing to find them makes no sense.

      Why would it make no sense? According to http://www.imore.com/pokemon-g... [imore.com] , you are notified by your phone that it is out. Some kids (or not bright people) may keep their eyes glued to the phone instead. As a result, trespassing could easily occur (get excited about the game and pay no attention on where they are going).

      Then once they're out of hiding you tap to bring up the capture screen. There's no need to get closer to capture em.

      You are correct. Again, some kids get excited, look at the phone, and play it right away instead of "moving away to a safe

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by LiENUS ( 207736 )

        You are correct. Again, some kids get excited, look at the phone, and play it right away instead of "moving away to a safe zone" to initiate the capturing.

        There's no need to go onto private property to capture a pokemon on the private property. Once you know the pokemon is there you can capture it. There's no moving away to safe zone. You tap on the pokemon thats in private property from the public sidewalk.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by mysidia ( 191772 )

          There's no moving away to safe zone. You tap on the pokemon thats in private property from the public sidewalk.

          Maybe. There literally are not many sidewalks around here; You're on the street, or in the ditches, or grass on the other side of the ditches by the streets. Not very pedestrian-friendly.

          I still say there's no such thing as "Trespassing" by someone not paying attention to where they are. Trespassing requires the property owner to have taken substantial steps to isolate their land from th

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by cfalcon ( 779563 )

      > Until the pokemon comes out of hiding you can't tell where they are

      No, *YOU* can't tell where they are. If I've been watching the "nearby" screen I have a good idea where they are.

    • So why would trespassing even come up?

      Because the ad company posting these stories doesn't care about truthfulness?

    • > Until the pokemon comes out of hiding you can't tell where they are so trespassing to find them makes no sense.

      You answered your own question. People dont know they're *not* there, unless they get close enough to check.

  • Stop with the nannystate warnings! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by gfxguy ( 98788 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @01:43PM (#52498657)
    Let natural selection take it's course. If people want to wander out in traffic to capture a virtual Pokemon, let them.
    • Well I do not want to deal with the issues with hurting or even killing someone when they run out in front of my car. I couldn't imagine how that would affect me knowing I killed someone.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gfxguy ( 98788 )
        If someone steps in front of your moving vehicle, then you did not kill them.
        • That is true but it would still be pretty traumatizing.

          • Considering that when there's an accident people slow down almost to a halt in the hope of seeing something "traumatizing", my guess is people, at least the ones who are not actively seeking attention, are not as easily "traumatized" as you think they are.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Minupla ( 62455 )

              Considering that when there's an accident people slow down almost to a halt in the hope of seeing something "traumatizing", my guess is people, at least the ones who are not actively seeking attention, are not as easily "traumatized" as you think they are.

              These people are, frankly, morons. I still get nightmares from a motorcycle accident I was first on the scene of 15 years ago. (PSA: If you ride, PLEASE wear a helmet, if not for you, for the poor smuck trying to save your life.) I can't imagine what it would do to me to actually hit someone. Min

            • Re: (Score:1)

              by Anonymous Coward

              GP is not referring to witnessing an accident, or the aftermath of one, as being traumatising, but being traumatised as a result of being the one involved in the accident - that is to say the one doing the hitting, rather than the one being hit, though I'd imagine were they still alive after the event they'd be pretty traumatised too, by definition.

              Or, to put it more simply, he's saying that if he was driving along, and hit someone he'd be traumatised. It doesn't matter whether it was an unavoidable situati

    • People who dance backwards into the street... and get ran over by ice cream trucks can and have successfully sued the driver for "damages".

      Need to update my sign, No trespassing, No swimming, No fishing, and No hunting (includes Pokemon).

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by c ( 8461 )

      Let natural selection take it's course. If people want to wander out in traffic to capture a virtual Pokemon, let them.

      Natural selection is a bit rough on my front grill. Couldn't they just walk off a remote cliff?

      • You are thinking of lemmings...

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by c ( 8461 )

          I'm just thinking of my car and insurance, but now that you mention it "lemmings" does sound like an apt description of a lot of these people.

    • There's also places where the driver is ALWAYS at fault for hitting a pedestrian or cyclist. I don't want my life messed up because some moron playing this game lost the last bit of common sense they possessed.

    • Re:Stop with the nannystate warnings! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ultranova ( 717540 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @03:06PM (#52499459)

      Let natural selection take it's course. If people want to wander out in traffic to capture a virtual Pokemon, let them.

      Natural selection is outdated. We switched to cultural evolution 10,000 years ago for all important development, and are on the verge of simply designing and reshaping our biological forms as we see fit. So what purpose does your comment serve, aside from promoting viciousness and devaluing of human life which threaten to kill us all precisely because of the power we now possess, and is thus far worse defect than being easily distracted at young age, as well as making life less pleasant overall?

  • Bad movie in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... (Score:3)

    by PCM2 ( 4486 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @01:47PM (#52498693) Homepage

    I'm already imagining the terrible, direct-to-streaming horror movie based on Pokemon Go.

    Quickly, ScriptBot! Let's have those first few scenes...

    • I'm already imagining the terrible, direct-to-streaming horror movie based on Pokemon Go.

      Quickly, ScriptBot! Let's have those first few scenes...

      Godlike beings from another realm of existence are casting their avatars in your world, hunting and enslaving your friends and you, and making you fight for their entertainment. When you amuse them no more, they'll turn off your universe, casting you all to oblivion, until resurrected in some bizarre new form for another hunt. You hope and fear that this time the

  • How do adult Pokemon players interact with children Pokemon players?

    http://www.threepanelsoul.com/comic/this-doesn39t-happen-to-ash [threepanelsoul.com]

    • Fortunately the only underage children I've come across playing it were with their mother, who was also playing. She's actually the one that struck up the conversation. It probably helped that we were in the parking lot of the local police station, which has 3 Pokestops (all had Lures going) so a crowd of us were camped and feeling relatively safe.

      • Fortunately the only underage children I've come across playing it were with their mother, who was also playing.

        My coworker was complaining about being neglected at home because his wife and their kids are playing the game.

        • My teenager and his friends have been playing... he even pulled his bike out of the shed so he could ride it while playing. I'm just glad he will have forgotten about the game in 5 months when he can get a driver's license not just a permit.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by xaxa ( 988988 )

      In countries without an irrational fear of child kidnapping, sexual abuse etc, we interact in the normal way. That is, by talking to them.

      Can you "steal" a Pokémon in the game? If so, it's probably less appropriate to steal them from children.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mysidia ( 191772 )

        I think the answer is no. You ought to be able to challenge them to a Duel or Pokébattle.

        In previous Pokemon games, you could challenge other players to a Duel, and loser actually loses something, But, for some reason, there are no Player vs Player features in the mobile game.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by cfalcon ( 779563 )

      You just talk to them. Why are grown men afraid of talking with children? What a bunch of social wimps.

    • Kids still play Pokemon? I thought it was more of a mid to late twenties thing.

    • "Come, I have a few rare pokemons to catch for you in my van..."

  • Found landmarks in buildings (Score:3)

    by subanark ( 937286 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @01:49PM (#52498713)

    Found two landmark points (used to get free pokeballs and other items) inside 2 Microsoft buildings (showing off their Halo exhibits). I wonder if anyone is going to try to hang out on the side of the building to pick it up.

    • Found one that was a nice mural...in the drive through lane of a Wine&Spirits convenience store...

      "I'd like a 5th of Jack and three Pokeballs, please"

  • I heard you can Set Lures to get Pokemon to appear in locations that you want. So you could cause the P.Go servers to spawn Pokemon in the middle of a highway, in the middle of a swamp, or in a KKK meeting hall.

    • You can only deploy lures at established pokestops which are various landmarks (portals from Ingress)

      Savvy business owners are buying lure modules in game and deploying them, advertising on social media. Players are motivated to hang around within 30 meters to hit the pokestop every 5 minutes and catch the attracted pokemon.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      According to headlines, there have already been multiple robberies using this technique.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by cfalcon ( 779563 )

      > I heard you can Set Lures to get Pokemon to appear in locations that you want.

      No, you can make a pokestop spawn pokemon for half an hour. The locations of pokestops are not something you can pick. You can't just lure a highway or whatever, or your house.

    • I heard you can Set Lures to get Pokemon to appear in locations that you want. So you could cause the P.Go servers to spawn Pokemon in the middle of a highway, in the middle of a swamp, or in a KKK meeting hall.

      If they made P.Go available in Cambodia, they could put them in live, uncleared minefields.

  • let us know if you come away alive after being shot

  • Can Nintendo use this to lure young people to polls on election day?

  • Not all that different than when I was in college and some of us started playing D&D in the real world. A buddy decided to jump off the top of the dining facility to evade a troll and broke his leg because the snowbank was an ice bank. Sure the scale is smaller but the principle is the same: Some people get carried away when playing games.

  • "Do not run into trees, meters, and things that are attached to the sidewalk; they hurt," he said.

    Thanks mr safety guy thats great advice.

    -

    "Do not drive or ride your bike / skateboard / hipster techie device while interacting with the app."

    Am I allowed to sit quietly in the corner without moving? Can I do that?
    Can I draw my gun and empty the magazine if a pokemon suddenly appears in front of me?
    Am I allowed to set fire to a building in order to flush them out?
    Can I poison all my coworkers so they're deathly

  • This is just d....d...Darw.....Darwi.... ah, that was close!

  • ... an augmented reality type of application, so you could use the iphone screen to watch where you are walking, keeping your head up and seeing where you are going, while still catching a peripheral view of things in front of you to either side of your phone.

    Hololens would probably be a very good platform for it as well.

  • So says the author of this post [medium.com]. And what he says makes sense to me.

  • To write an app that spoofs the GPS coordinates for that game? I mean, let's be honest here, running around like an idiot for an effing GAME?

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