Poké mon Go' Craze Raises Safety Issues
13 7월 2016 - 11:00AM
Dow Jones News
The hit mobile app "Poké mon Go" is giving millions of people
their first taste of futuristic augmented-reality technology. It is
also raising questions about whether the game's location and
mapping features are luring players into danger.
In "Poké mon Go," players use their phones to capture virtual
creatures that appear to be hovering in their immediate vicinity in
the real world. Advancing in the game involves collecting items
such as "Poké Balls," which are needed to catch monsters, and can
be found at "Poké Stops." Players use captured creatures to fight
other players at "gyms."
Both Poké Stops and gyms usually are located in public places
such as libraries, churches and landmarks flagged by the game on a
digital map.
The game uses technologies built into modern smartphones, such
as the camera and GPS, to create the digital map and determine the
location of the creatures and places to visit. It also relies on
players' suggestions and a database from a previous game to
determine viable sites for gyms and Poké Stops.
The placements raise questions about whether players could get
hurt searching unsafe areas—a dark alley or along a river, for
example—particularly while staring at a smartphone screen. It is
also a reminder of how fast-developing technologies like augmented
reality can be handed to people with little precedent or guidance
on how to use them in everyday life.
Days after the game's launch in the U.S., Australia and New
Zealand, players shared images and tales on social media of
dangerous encounters, such as Poké mon popping up near subway
tracks. In O'Fallon, Mo., four teens waited at Poké Stops in order
to rob arriving players, police said. Law enforcement has warned
people to be mindful while exploring.
The game "could be potentially leading people into areas where
they don't belong," such as construction sites or shuttered
storefronts, said Don Boyes, an associate professor of geography
and planning at the University of Toronto.
Niantic Inc., the Alphabet Inc. spinout that makes the game in
partnership with Poké mon Co. and Nintendo Co., uses a custom
version of Google Maps to create the digital playing field. It
relies on players' suggestions to identify places to designate as
Poké Stops, and is drawing from a pool of about 5 million locations
employees previously vetted for an earlier augmented-reality game,
"Ingress."
Beth King drove to a Poké Stop in Columbia, S.C., last week and
found herself parked outside what appeared to be a shuttered
community center.
"The driveway was all weeded up," said the 26-year-old
administrative assistant. "It was in a sketchy part of town."
Another Poké Stop was at what she called a rundown church in an
empty lot full of potholes. "It was obviously not open anymore,"
she said. "It made me nervous."
As with "Ingress," Niantic provides "Poké mon Go" players an
online form to suggest places as Poké Stops or report inappropriate
ones. The list of approved locations shared by the two games has
"been honed over the past three years," Niantic Chief Executive
John Hanke said. "It's in pretty good shape."
The appearance of Poké mon, meanwhile, is generated randomly by
an algorithm that matches creature characteristics with the
geographic makeup of a player's location in the real world—think
the goldfish-like Magikarp appearing by a lake.
Players could discover Poké mon in remote places, like a
forested area of town, since the creatures can pop up almost
anywhere a person has internet access and the app open. But players
shouldn't purposefully travel to hard-to-reach locations hoping to
find prized rare creatures, Mr. Hanke said. There is no connection;
creature rarity is entirely random.
Niantic blocks creatures from roadways, airport runways, bodies
of water and other areas, Mr. Hanke said. The company declined to
provide a list of fenced-off locations or discuss how it selects
those spots.
It is challenging to keep mapping technology up-to-date, experts
say. The mapping technology in "Poké mon Go" doesn't warn players
if a Poké Stop is in an area that recently suffered storm damage or
has a high crime rate, for example.
"If you're a tourist in a city having fun, this could be a
potentially dangerous app," said Brian Tomaszewski, associate
professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, who specializes
in geographic information systems.
Niantic and its partners are aware of such scenarios as Poké mon
hovering near subway tracks or players visiting Poké Stops late at
night, Mr. Hanke said. He pointed to the game's warning cautioning
players to be aware of their surroundings.
"We rely on our users to use the same common sense they would to
go out for a walk or bike ride," Mr. Hanke said. "Places may safe
during the day but not at night. They may be safe for you but not
somebody else."
Write to Sarah E. Needleman at sarah.needleman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 12, 2016 21:45 ET (01:45 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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