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The Dark Side of Pokémon Go

Hi friends! Happy Spooky Season! As I keep saying in all my blog posts lately, I'm writing about more of the creepier/disturbing/morbid topics in the lead-up to Halloween. Of course, I will still keep my "Freaky Friday Files" going but I thought this would be a fun way to help me with my current writer's block (and guess what? It's helping). #spookyseason #PokémonGo #darkside


For this blog post, we are going to discuss the dark side of Pokémon Go. I love ALL things Pokémon and it kinda makes me sad but also a little bit curious at the same time. We are going to take a look at some of the crimes/incidents linked to Pokémon Go.


I aim to be as respectful as possible to the victims involved.


TW: This blog post contains accounts of actual incidents that have taken place during Pokémon Go gameplay. Reader discretion is advised.



The Dark Side of Pokémon Go


Firstly, let's start with what Pokémon Go actually is. Pokémon Go is a game available to users on both android and IOS devices that have a GPS function, created by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo. Pokémon Go is one of my favourite games to play and I rarely miss a day of getting out and playing. The idea of the game is to locate, capture, train, and battle virtual Pokémon who appear as if they are in our real world. It's a free to play game, making it quite popular and it was launched in 2016 - what a year - I remember there were SOOOO many people out and about that Summer in Christchurch. I think it's obvious, but the game is based on the 90s Pokémon TV show and fun fact - I actually call myself Ash because of Pokémon (because Ash Ketchum). For the most part, Pokémon Go has been a good thing, getting people out of the house, exercising, and making friends BUT there have been some dark things too. Let's take a look at all the crimes/incidents linked to Pokémon Go.





  • In July 2016, a man playing Pokémon Go was robbed at gunpoint in Auburn, Alabama. The victim was playing Pokémon Go around 3 am (which you shouldn't do by yourself) and the game took him to a closed business in College Street. Once the victim arrived, 4 men approached him and took his smartphone and charger. The four suspects then fled the scene but the victim was able to get a description of the vehicle and they were later taken into custody. The victim sustained minor injuries and was taken into hospital for treatment.

  • Another incident in July 2016 in Flagstaff, Arizona was where a man was walking in a carpark casually playing Pokémon Go when he was unfortunately hit on the back of the head and robbed. The victim blacked out for a few seconds and when he came to, he saw 4 different men digging through his pockets.

  • July 2016 was prime time for Pokémon Go incidents as two marines (who were playing Pokémon Go at the time) helped catch a m*rder suspect who was harassing kids (also playing Pokémon Go) in California. One of the marine's game froze so he quickly looked up to check his surroundings and when he did, he noticed a man approaching a woman and her kids. The woman and her kids ran away from the man, but he approached them again and started to touch one of the boys on the leg. At this point, the marine bolts and grabs the man, and the two marines stayed with the perpetrator until the police arrived. He was originally arrested on child annoyance, but it was later found that he had an "outstanding warrant for attempted murder in Sonoma, California."

  • Another incident in California took place on the 14th July, 2016 at 12 am. A man was playing Pokémon Go at Anaheim Park who got into some kind of altercation with 5-6 people who ended up st*bbing the man 7 times in his upper torso. It is not believed that the victim was lured to the park, just distracted. I think he survived as there is nothing to say he passed away. Scary.

  • In Connecticut in July 2016, two men were playing Pokémon Go where they went to a Pokéstop at St Luke's Church in Westport where they found a n*ked woman vandalising the church. This woman threw a statue of "Virgin Mary onto the ground, pulled lights out of the garden, turned over benches and threw garbage from her car into the pond." The woman was put into Norfolk Hospital as authorities were more interested in getting the woman help she may have needed at the time.

  • On July 20th, 2016, Pokémon Go saw its first d*ath by sh**ting. Two teenagers broke into someone's home to catch a Pokémon but they were unfortunately shot. One was k*lled and the other badly wounded. Please, stay safe and don't trespass. This was in Guatemala.

  • Another scary incident in July 2016 occurred on the 10th of July in Wyoming. A 19-year-old woman was playing Pokémon Go and ended up jumping a fence to look for a particular Pokémon. However, what she found was way more sinister - a d*ad body. The woman by the name of Shayla called the authorities who came straight away. According to authorities, there was no foul play involved, she just happened to stumble across the body. Shayla never caught her Pokémon.

  • In August 2016, a couple abandoned their own child (a two-year-old) to go and play Pokémon Go. Brent and Brianna Daley left their son in 90 F heat (32 C) for an hour without water. They were both charged with child neglect and endangerment. The child was found when a neighbour called 911 after finding an "abandoned" child outside their residence. What awful parents.

  • In June 2018, in Kirkwood, Missouri, there was some sort of disagreement with a father and son and another Pokémon Go player to do with a gym. They threw the man into a lake and tried to drown him (how awful). Thankfully, a passerby stopped them and helped the man out of the lake. In an odd twist, the victim also said the previous year he had been attacked by the same people. The perpetrators were charged with third-degree assault.

  • According to "this study" in 2018, there was a real increase in vehicle-related accidents, fatalities, and vehicle damage following the release of the game. I don't quite know if this is a direct cause or correlation as we have to think about all the factors.

  • One of the VERY dark sides of Pokémon Go is to do with the Duck Walk K*ller - a serial k*ller who still hasn't been caught. This person m*rdered at least two men in Roger's Park, Chicago in 2018 - Douglass Watts (73) who was walking his dog on the 30th October 2018, and Eliyahu Moscowitz (24) while he was walking home playing Pokémon Go at the time. Some footage of the k*ller was captured on surveillance cameras but the only distinguishable feature was that he walked with a limp. Authorities urged members of the community to look out for someone who walks with distinctive toes pointed out, hence the name, duck walk. If you want to read more about this, "this" reddit thread dives deep into the unsolved case. I hope justice comes for the two victims and they rest in peace.

  • In 2023, footage from 2017 was released from police dashcams which shows some police ignoring a robbery call so they could play Pokémon Go. Two LAPD officers were trying to catch a Snorlax and Togetic.

  • In this research, the scariest thing I found was a Pokémon Go d*ath tracker - which at the time of writing this says there has been 25 d*aths and 63 injuries. I kinda feel like some of the articles are definitely trying to fear-monger. However, that is not to take away from anything real that has occurred while someone has been trying to enjoy their game of Pokémon Go.


If you would like to check out more about this stuff, I recommend the following YouTube videos:






So there you have it, we went down the Pokémon Go rabbit hole and learned about the dark side.


Have a good day!

Much love,

Ash xoxo




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26 de out.

Very interesting!

Curtir
ashey9111
27 de out.
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Thank you

Curtir
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