JEDDAH — ‘Pokémon Go', a smartphone game, has become extremely popular in the Kingdom, as it has in many parts of the world, with young and old alike taking to the game for entertainment or just plain curiosity. The location-based, augmented reality mobile game focuses on catching Pokémon — small animated creatures — visiting pokéstops, and completing gym battles. The style of the creatures in the game alters depending on the player's location. Around the world, the game has seen people getting outside, exploring their surroundings and communities. Yet, there have been some troubling consequences too, with people crashing their cars while playing the game, or even asking to go into other people's homes in the hope of finding a new creature. Some mothers have urged their children not to play the game, and some people are even asking for the game to be banned for religious or security reasons, arguing that the game needs to use a player's GPS and the camera, potentially putting them at risk. Several mothers contacted by Saudi Gazette said they were against the game because they thought it would allow thieves to find a player's location and exploit the game for money. According to Abbas Shouman, the deputy chief of Al-Azhar in Egypt, said the game is prohibited in Islam and is as illicit as drinking alcohol. Many youth are ignoring the advice of their family and are downloading the game, arguing that it is simply entertainment that gets people outside and moving around. Amro Kelketawi, a Saudi working at a private company, said he he started playing the game with his friends as a form of entertainment. He believes that it is a great entertaining game which links players with the real world. Suhaib Tareq, a Saudi manager at a private company, said he was curious to know more about the game after hearing many people talking about it. He has reached level three and now stopped playing. He said he believed that the game may not be appropriate for all Saudis, especially women, as it requires a lot of movement and is very difficult to play sitting at one place. "The interesting part of the game is to make you move in and outside the city, walking or riding a bike and visiting places not visited," he said. Some youth are downloading the game just out of keenness. Saudi physician, Mohammed Alghamdi, said: "I downloaded the game to see what is so special about it and, after playing the game I do not see the point of it. The pros of it gets you to move around and explore places, and the cons would be it can get the person in trouble or, worst than that, killed." Pokémon Go players have started looking for creatures in the game everywhere, including in mosques. Some Saudis on social media have said that they've found notes on their cars asking for their permissions to enter their house to catch a pokémon. But this intense desire of finding more pokémon and form strong teams in the game is not only a phenomenon in the Kingdom; is happening all over the world. A young student in the Philippines, Paul Tayag, said: "I first learned about the game when I saw the Super Bowl trailer featuring Pokémon Go on YouTube. I have been a fan since I was a kid and I have played every main game in the franchise, so I was really excited." He added that Pokemon Go makes makes him want to go outside instead of sitting indoors all day. He said he also likes the fact that it allows people to interact with each other when they go around trying to catch pokémon. "One of the biggest pros of the game is how it introduces the franchise to a new generation of players while giving something new to the older fans. Playing here in Jeddah is challenging, though. You need to drive around the city because the pokémon and pokéstops are located at fairly distant locations. In other parts of the world, there have been several news reports of accidents due to playing the game. It is related to crimes as well. However, I believe these problems can be avoided if people play responsibly," he said. Although the free downloaded game is not yet available on the Saudi apple or android app stores, many youth have found ways to get access to the game, using American accounts instead. The game, which was officially release more than a week ago, is available in the US, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, the UK, and some other European countries, and will be rolling out to other regions soon. According to international newspapers, Nintendo holds a stake in the series' licensor of the game, and the company's stock has increased dramatically since the games release, adding around $7.5 billion to the company's market value.
