French man aimlessly wanders onto military base during Pokémon hunt

[Shawn Knight]

A 27-year-old in Indonesia was recently arrested for trespassing after wandering onto a military base while aimlessly playing Pokémon Go.

According to a report from The Guardian, Romain Pierre on Monday somehow made his way into a military complex in Cirebon. When approach by guards, he did the only sensible thing – ran for his life. Needless to say, trying to outrun military personnel didn’t exactly work.

A spokesperson said Pierre was released a few hours later once it became apparent that he unintentionally entered the complex while jogging and hunting for Pokémon nearby.

I’m not sure if the story speaks more to the guy's lack of situational awareness or the military complex for allowing someone to breach its perimeter by sheer accident but I digress.

As you’ve no doubt noticed, behavior like this isn’t uncommon with some Pokémon Go players. Since its debut earlier this month, we’ve heard reports of people being robbed, crashing vehicles and even falling off cliffs while traversing with their mobile device glued to their face.

It’s an incredible phenomenon and one that Nintendo desperately needed. In my short amount of time on this planet, however, I can’t think of a single game or product launch that has caused this much hysteria so quickly.

Readers of a certain age will no doubt remember the launch of Windows 95, Beanie Babies and Tickle Me Elmo as being massive retail launches but even then, I don’t think they permeated multiple demographics the way Pokémon Go has. And with the global rollout still underway, I suspect stories related to the game will only grow more unimaginable over the coming weeks.

Image courtesy Alexander Tihonov, Shutterstock

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/65648-french-man-aimlessly-wanders-onto-military-base-during.html

 

[Dimas Satrio]

The military base that was mentioned here is a "Kodim" a small administrative military station for district watch. It's like a ranger station, but because Indonesia had only 2 armed institution, police and military, its military that guarding this place.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

This game should be renamed DARWIN GO!

I feel that the darwin awards this year will be full of pokemon go players doing stuff like walking into cars/military bases/ece.

 

[Trillionsin]

Got Pokemon going in Bluestacks. All I'm gonna say. Dont waste your money folks. Please, dont waste your money. (paying for in game items)

 

[wiyosaya]

This game should be renamed DARWIN GO!

I feel that the darwin awards this year will be full of pokemon go players doing stuff like walking into cars/military bases/ece.

Absolutely!

Are you being paid by Nintendo, Shawn? I mean WTF? I see you spin this in the direction of a positive in an inherently dangerous action by Pokemon Go players. I suppose that your response and that of Nintendo is "Play Pokemon Go responsibly!!!"

Please tell me why and how this "phenomenon" is any different from any other instance of a person staring at a portable electronic device, not paying attention to their surroundings, and getting hurt. As I see it, it is the same phenomenon with a slightly different stimulus, but otherwise, it is no different than any other instance of distraction by electronic device that might end up in either the distracted person or some other innocent person not involved in the game losing their lives. WTF??

Also, I do not see that this is positive attention for Nintendo unless Nintendo's marketing department can somehow spin this as an impetus to compete for Darwin Awards.

 

[stewi0001]

The military base that was mentioned here is a "Kodim" a small administrative military station for district watch. It's like a ranger station, but because Indonesia had only 2 armed institution, police and military, its military that guarding this place.

Thanks for the clarification.

There is a military base right across the way from work (it has a pokestop and gym on it) and there is no way I can "accidentally" walk onto it unless no one is guarding the front gate and the gate is open.

 

[Kibaruk]

We might not know about the social experiment they are doing, by putting "obstacles" irl. Who knows... if I were asked by armed military about what I'm doing there, there is nothing sensible in running, that's plain stupid, specially in "military" bases you can get shot on sight.

 

[cartera]

The game has gone a bit insane. Surely Nintendo/ Niantic labs have a requirement to take reasonable steps not to put gyms/stops/'whatever-they-are' in dangerous locations.

We might not know about the social experiment they are doing, by putting "obstacles" irl. Who knows... if I were asked by armed military about what I'm doing there, there is nothing sensible in running, that's plain stupid, specially in "military" bases you can get shot on sight.

Luckily for him, very few are important enough to be that well guarded except 'tthe guy on the gate' who is often a civvy.

 

[Capaill]

After hearing a story of how a girl in the US got hit by a car after wandering onto a highway and her mother blamed this game (the girl got away with minor injuries), I've been calling it Pokemon Splat!

 

[TomSEA]

Yesterday there was a report of the first traffic accident here in Seattle as a result of some fool playing the game while driving. A 28 year old guy rear-ended another while playing and driving. TWENTY EIGHT YEARS OLD.

There are really no words to describe how ridiculous this all is.

 

[Jack007]

No kidding. Did he get to see any aliens. In military bases they like to hide stuff

 

[Jaabaaar]

The French soldiers came out waving white flags with their hands up in the air. They thought they were under attack and surrendered.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Pokemon Go is the best business decision ever made by the petroleum industry.

 

[DAOWAce]

Yesterday there was a report of the first traffic accident here in Seattle as a result of some fool playing the game while driving. A 28 year old guy rear-ended another while playing and driving. TWENTY EIGHT YEARS OLD.

There are really no words to describe how ridiculous this all is.

To me, nobody's an adult unless they're 35+.

The world keeps getting younger. 16, 18 and 21 as legal boundaries are a complete joke now.

 

[captaincranky]

I'm really still appalled that the human race kicked the, "Hula-Hoop", to the curb so disrespectfully. It was the only thing preventing people from becoming the enormous sizes they are today....

Plus, I can't ever recall someone falling off a cliff, or invading a foreign country while playing with one