Passionate Pokemon players may not be able to freely pounce on the Pikachus and Charmanders, if the Shiv Sena has its way. After clerics in Saudi Arabia issued a religious edict against playing Pokemon, the Shiv Sena here has demanded the widely popular mobile phone application be regulated, with some sort of guidelines on playing zones and restrictions, much on the lines of those put in place in the U.S. Japan too has issued a series of regulation urging citizens to be careful while playing the game.
The augmented reality game is leading to widespread road mishaps, with reports that distracted players have even crashed into trees, or other vehicles trying to pounce on Pokemon, the Sena leaders said in the Legislative Council on Friday.
Pokemon Go is already banned in 22 countries, and the Maharashtra government, being a progressing and developing state must protect the interests of its youth, Shiv Sena leader Neelam Ghore demanded. She pointed out several instances of mishaps while playing Pokemon Go. “In Indonesia, a boy while chasing Pokeman entered an army base. In Guatemala, two children had to face firing from unknown locations while chasing Pokemon. In Arizona, a college has given special instruction to students against playing Pokemon,” Ms. Ghore said while demanding that the State government issue regulatory notification or guidelines for playing Pokemon.
The game is popular in India and Mumbai, where gamers have downloaded the app though it is yet to be officially released.
Some gamers welcomed the move saying the Sena is right in asking for regulations and guidelines, while others said it was akin to moral policing. Andre Rodrigues, 38, a techie from Bandra, said, “This is a great game that brings people together, standing next to a poke stop. The game is only dangerous if the user is unaware of the dangers on the road. As it is, the Sena cannot ban it, since the game has not officially been launched in India.”
Others believe it to be an illogical step. An avid player of Pokemon Go, Rohan Kapoor (23), a film-editor, said the game starts with a warning asking users to stay alert of their surroundings at all times. “People also do not walk around in the dark; the screen vibrates when there are Pokemon around.”
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