Mumbai: Bring regulation on hazardous Pokemon Go, demands Shiv Sena MLC

The popular "Pokémon GO" on Friday reached the state legislative council with Shiv Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe demanding that the state government bring a regulation on the game as people have died while playing it. She also pointed out the fact that the game creates a traffic hazard as people stop in the middle of the road to catch some Pokémons.

Taking note of her submission, chairman of the council Ramraje Nimbalkar directed the government to look into the issue and take necessary action.

"Countries like Kuwait and the US have taken steps to regulate the use of this game after many accidents were reported while people were playing it. I'm aware that not all the issues can be resolved by banning them, but there has to some regulation on them as youngsters have been seen stopping vehicles in the middle of the road to catch Pokémons, this can be a huge hazard and can cause accidents," said Gorhe. Since the game required players to give their location, it could also be a safety hazard and, therefore, there was a need to monitor it, she added.

As per news reports, Pokémon GO has led to a shooting in Florida. Two teenagers, aged 19 and 16, were shot at while they were sitting in a car and playing Pokémon GO.

Pokomon is a free-to-play, location-based augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic for iOS and Android devices. It was released in most regions of the world in July 2016. Making use of GPS and the camera of compatible devices, the game allows players to capture, battle and train virtual creatures, called Pokémon, who appear on device screens as though in the real world. The game is free-to-play, though it supports in-app purchases of additional gameplay items. An optional companion Bluetoothwearable device, the Pokémon Go Plus, is planned for future release and will alert users when Pokémons are nearby.