Unless you’ve been hiding in some tall grass for the past few weeks, Pokémon GO should definitely ring a bell for you. Thanks to the app, Pokémon have been making an appearance around the world in places such as rivers, parks… and even the nearby police station.

Millions of Pokémon trainers are now searching far and wide to catch them all. However, although the app encourages players to go outside, explore, and socialise – it’s not all roses and sunshine. Like everything else, it also has some downsides attached to it. Here are some of them…

It’s a distraction

Apart from all the traditional Pokémon aspects of it, the interface of the app displays a road and lakes/rivers on its map. The app will not tell you when and if a car is coming your way. I’ve seen kids casually walk across the roads without looking because they’re too busy staring at their phones. I’ve even had to do an emergency stop on the main road to my village because a kid was stood in the middle of the road trying to catch one. Two men also fell off a cliff while playing! You should make sure you’re aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on where you are walking, which brings me to my next point…

Driving and catching

People are already aware of the dangers of texting while driving. It distracts you from the road and increases the odds of you having an accident. Playing a video game is just as bad as texting. One player even drove their car into a tree while driving and playing! It’s not worth it.

You could get robbed

Although one of the benefits of playing the game is to socialise and meet other people, some of those people could rob you. If you’re hunting at night then do so in a well lit and open area. It was reported that 3-4 teenagers were luring players into areas and then robbing them at gunpoint. Crazy, right?

It kills your battery

Because the first three points have been rather sinister I thought I’d end this with something less… dramatic? The app will kill the battery in your phone. There aren’t places to charge your phone in the great outdoors so be careful in case you overplay and your phone dies. Otherwise you might get bored and actually start socialising with people and who wants that, right?

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There you have it. Just like everything else in life, Pokémon GO also has its ups and downs. However, despite the dangers, I’m a big fan of the app and I am currently a gym leader at the nearby gym (which is actually located in the center of a roundabout… see, dangerous!).

What do you think of the app? Let me know by leaving a comment below!