Don’t get so immersed in Pokemon GO that you forget real life is around you

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – As we continue to hear about Pokemon GO players running through the Lower Mainland — and being booted off people’s property — a local professor is warning about potential consequences of playing.

You may be playing the game in the real world, but Pokemon GO intermixes with the people, places, and activities happening around you. Carman Neustaedter Associate Professor at the School of Interactive Arts and Technology at SFU says you could get so immersed in the game that you forget real life is all around you.

“And then it can be hard to sort of pay attention to those sorts of things and realize there’s other concerns like privacy, safety, and different people’s attitudes about what should be acceptable in public places.”

Neustaedter thinks we will get to a point where everyone is at ease with the game, but it’ll take time to get there.

“I think this will probably see the greater acceptance of location-based games in general. Probably more companies will start to use this as a model now that they’ve seen how successful one game can be, especially when it combines with ideas from popular culture.”

He notes there are positives to the game, including an increase in physical activity.

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