Press. voanews.com.
Mobile video
game app Pokemon Go widened its global popularity Saturday when it was released
in 15 countries in Southeast Asia. Just one month after its U.S. launch, the
game that forces players to go outside and physically visit locations has
become a global phenomenon. But the makers are still releasing it selectively
in countries around the world, as they work to ensure the game's rapidly rising
popularity does not overwhelm the computer servers that power it.
Pokemon fans in
Thailand were surprised when they saw the app available for download Saturday
morning, having previously been told that it wouldn't come to their country
until September. "It was unexpected because all we heard is, like … they
said September," said Arjun, a 17-year-old Bangkok resident. "We
didn’t know — my friend just messaged this morning, like, 'It’s on the app
store, guys!' "
Arjun and his
friends had already made plans for the day, but they were easily modified to
incorporate catching Pokemon.
"We went to
watch a movie ... so I caught Pokemon in the theater," he said. Even his
sister Karuna, 22, who was visiting the United States when it was released, has
reluctantly become a fan.
"It was
annoying because everyone was doing it," Karuna said of the craze that swept
the U.S. a few weeks ago. "It’s still annoying here, but my siblings are
doing it and I didn't want to be left out. Then I got it, and now I’m pretty
much addicted."
Karuna spoke to
the value of Pokemon Go as the first game that takes kids (and adults) outside
— meeting new people and finding new places — instead of the games she and her
peers played on TV screens when they were younger.
Residents of
Japan and Hong Kong were the first in Asia to play the game when it was
released there last week. This weekend, over 600 players in Hong Kong raced
around the city in one of the world's first "PokeGame" competitions.
But not everyone
in East Asia is as excited about Pokemon Go's arrival. With a referendum on a
new constitution draft set for Sunday in Thailand, authorities have warned
players against wandering into polling stations while striving to "catch
'em all."
Other
governments have issued warnings, because players often ignore their
surroundings. Local police in the U.S. have released statements reminding
people not to play the game while driving.
Iran became the
first country to ban the game outright in recent days, while Indonesia has
implemented partial bans. The game has still not been released in India, China,
Nigeria, Egypt and many other countries in Africa, the Middle East and
Asia.
The latest game
release allows players in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon
Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau to relive childhood days of
playing with Pokemon in a whole new format.
Pokemon Go uses
augmented reality technology. It uses a real-world map and superimposes virtual
cartoon images in the cameras of mobile phones. Players walk around hunting for
Pokemon — short for Pocket Monsters. When they appear on their phones' screens,
players can catch them, train them and battle other monsters.
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