By Shambhavi Saxena and Rohini Banerjee:
This morning, a baffled voice on the radio asked, “Yeh ‘Paakimon’ kya hai?” Those of us who grew up in the ’90s and early 2000s took a minute to snicker rudely at his expense, before we got right back to the newest virtual world craze – Pokémon Go.
Pokémon (a contraction of “pocket monsters”) was created in 1989 by Japanese game designer and insect-collector Satoshi Tajiri. Populated by strange powerful creatures, ‘trainers’ who “gotta catch ’em all”, and the evil but incompetent trio who call themselves ‘Team Rocket’, the Pokémon universe is right up there in the ’90s kids’ imagination, along with Harry Potter and Disney. Prior to Pokémon’s TV release in India, flyers were distributed outside schools, and kids who’d already been trading Pokémon cards were over the moon. But despite its initial success a decade ago, things have been fairly quiet on the Pokémon front. That is, until now.
Pokémon Go, launched on July 6, 2016, by the makers of the original game and TV show, has become the biggest mobile game in history. It has surpassed the user-base of popular social media platforms and websites such as Twitter, Snapchat, Netflix, and even dating apps like Tinder.
The game allows you to play as a Pokemon trainer whose job is to capture and train them. To play, you simply have to walk around with the app open and catch the various pokémon that show up in various places around your city and win points.
Sounds pretty simple, right? But people have been absolutely losing their shit over the game since it launched. From popping up in totally inappropriate places, to causing sudden herd mentality, Pokémon Go has caused some very strange things to happen. Don’t believe us? Don’t believe us? Well check out some of these noteworthy instances:
1. The game is literally moulding patterns of human movement!
A Wartortle just showed up on Santa Monica Pier and HUNDREDS of people ran for it. Absolutely insane #PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/ySfjWMaNYh
— Sam Thorne (@Strippin) July 13, 2016
2. Eeps, even the Holocaust Museum isn’t excluded.
Holocaust Museum to #PokemonGo Users: Please Stop Playing Herehttps://t.co/oWjnypkO6X pic.twitter.com/iPADbere1z
— GameSpot (@GameSpot) July 13, 2016
3. This pastor thinks Satan’s using Pokémon Go to “murder Christians”.
https://twitter.com/TestSubject52/status/753646032890818560
4. Oh, and he isn’t alone.
https://twitter.com/lnternetbuIly/status/753784179054120960
5. This dude got stabbed, refused treatment, because Pokémon. What even…
Nerd Playing Pokémon Go Gets Stabbed During Mugging, Kept Playing https://t.co/HJ3NEiIuK3
— Total Frat Move (@totalfratmove) July 12, 2016
6. And these people were mugged.
#PokemonGO has claimed its first SF mugging victims: https://t.co/AiNiJ9PLfP pic.twitter.com/lsTgohL9th
— SFist (@SFist) July 13, 2016
7. This US soldier in Iraq took it to the next level.
U.S. soldier plays #PokemonGO on the battlefield in Iraq https://t.co/odrKB3IHfD pic.twitter.com/ERU9aWKDZu
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) July 12, 2016
8. Jack and Jill went up the hill to play Pokemon Go…
#PokemonGo players fall off cliff in California. https://t.co/KvlrVQu0AG pic.twitter.com/pF2QAOoDoB
— The Australian (@australian) July 15, 2016
9. Donald and Hillary wanna catch ’em all (voters) too.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton want to catch voters with Pokémon Go https://t.co/dTdWLbW0V1
— TIME (@TIME) July 15, 2016
10. The best thing so far.
Pokemon Go players rescue dozens of abandoned animals https://t.co/Vs7WkZpAad pic.twitter.com/oGICO8DOEm
— For Good's Sake (@goodnews) July 14, 2016
11. Not at all comfortable with this, though.
https://twitter.com/Jenn_Abrams/status/753257673131495424
12. Indian parents must be super happy.
https://twitter.com/elysian_eunoia/status/753059731204370436
13. A mother thought she’d lose her daughter in a road accident because of the game.
This has to be a new definition of crazy. https://t.co/ai2WrpvOMQ
— India Rocks (@namoindiapm985) July 14, 2016
14. This guy wrote an explanation for how Pokémon Go “is a death sentence if you are a black man”.
Just when you think you've heard the most absurd thing you will ever hear, someone goes and tops it. https://t.co/C1ZeHuZt92
— THE KING OF NIHILISM (@amazingatheist) July 15, 2016
15. Relationship status: Pokémon Go ruined it.
https://twitter.com/bennettboy_/status/751766173658808320
With inputs by Lipi Mehta.
Featured image credit: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images.