Play Pokemon Go in Metro Detroit Without Stupidity: Officials

Metro Detroit, MI — No one has “caught” a dead body in Metro Detroit, but as the Pokemon Go craze sweeps the country is having some unintended consequences across the country.

Pokemon Go, which launched this past week, encourages users to get out and GO “catch ‘em all” by using real locations to encourage players to find Pokemon. Rather than playing solo in their bedrooms or basements, players are getting outside and conversing with people at public places about the game.

Therein lies a bit of a challenge. In Pokemon Go, and other locations, police have received reports of suspicious people.

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In a tweet, Troy police warned players of the game that “Pokémon Go + Driving a Car = Bad Combination... please don't Pokémon and drive at the same time.”

Officials in Royal Oak encouraged players to use good judgment and to always be aware of their surroundings as they’re investigating PokeStops.

“We have a lot of construction happening in and around downtown, lots of cars, lots of dogs and, of course, lots of other pedestrians and Pokemon trainers,” the city said in post on its Facebook page. “Have fun, catch ‘em all and please be safe!”

There haven’t been any similar problems in Metro Detroit, but CNN reported some of the unintended consequences of the app, as well as a startling discovery.

Police in Missouri arrested four armed robbery suspects who are suspected of using the app to lure victims out-of-the-way places and rob them.

A Wyoming player discovered a dead body by the Big Wind River in Wyoming as she tried to catch a water Pokemon.

“I probably would have never went down there if it weren't for this game,” Shayla Wiggins, 19, told CNN.

And the Westboro Baptist Church, infamous for its anti-gay rhetoric and pickets of fallen soldiers’ funerals, was turned into a gay-friendly PokeStop ruled by Clefairy, a pink Pokemon known as a Clefairy with the nickname “love is love.”

What Is This Pokemon Go Thing?

Here’s how the app works:

As you move, your smartphone vibrates to let you know you're near a Pokemon. Players then throw a PokeBall to catch it and add it to their PokeDex. The game uses your phone’s GPS and camera to turn the real world into a gigantic scavenger hunt.

Business owners are taking note of the frenzy surrounding the game, too.

According to Forbes magazine, businesses are jumping on the PokeWagon and advertising that they're a PokeStop on their Facebook pages, which is a great way to entice players to come into their stores.

You May Be Mistaken for a Thug

Intrepid Patch.com reporter Scott Anderson in Wisconsin, who is a GPS-enabled games junkie when he’s not busy reporting, offers some tips:

1. Avoid traveling with your eyes fixated on your mobile device. If you're moving in your car during gameplay, you put yourself and others at risk.

2. Let someone know where you will be if you're traveling in an unfamiliar area.

3. People may think you're a suspicious person.There have been notable stories where players had the police called on them because they were in a public place at odd hours.

4. If the police stop you on a report of being suspicious, understand that community concerns are greater than your gameplay concerns. Calmly explain that you're just playing a video game and show police you're willing to listen to them when they stop you.

5. Know park hours. You can get cited by local authorities, and most communities have park hours posted near the entrance.

6. It's just a game. Remember, you may have opponents during gameplay, but they are not your 'enemies.'

7. If gameplay requires car travel, download an intel map of the area you're going to play, and plan your route. Pull off the road into a parking lot or parking space and commit to walking to your destination a short distance away if gameplay requires you to do so.

8. Walk! Most GPS-enabled games require you to get out into the community. They're designed to get your body up and moving - and in better shape.

9. Bring a friend. Pokemon Go is designed as a social game, and you'll end up being safer and having more fun in the long run when you play with friends.

10. Manage your battery life. Your phone is your primary communication device in the community. Be sure to have a phone charger/charging cord with you or stored in your vehicle. Invest in a portable battery charger and make sure to periodically charge it and have it handy during times of extended gameplay.

(Additional reporting by Patch.com’s Scott Anderson and Wendy Ann Mitchell.)

Image: Eduardo Woo via Flickr / Creative Commons