Now all we do is talk about Pokémon GO, the brand new simulation game for Android and iOS devices whose aim is to capture Pokémon wandering around the streets of the city. Just for those who don't know what the hell we're talking about, Pokemon are a sort of virtual monsters born from the fervent imagination of the Japanese computer scientist Satoshi Tajiri way back in 1996. Since then, thousands of children and teenagers have played with role-playing games that they've seen these curious little animals gradually become prey to be captured, trained or fought for pure fun. In Pokémon GO things get more curious and interesting: you capture Pokémon by interacting directly with your augmented reality, that is, you physically move around the area. Obviously, to play Pokémon GO you need an internet connection and an active GPS system. In short, from now on you will have to get used to hordes of kids (and not only) launching into an attack on their prey shouting "Gotta catch 'em all!","Catch them all!"
So what? Well, it might even leave you indifferent, if it weren't for the fact that sometimes real life is ready to surprise you with events that go far beyond the most daring of fantasies. This is what happened a few days ago to a young New Yorker, Evan Scribner, discovered by his girlfriend near the home of his ex. The unsuspecting player had gone there to capture a pokémon, and not only for that, evidently... Through the geolocation system and the capture of the pokémon, the girl was in fact able to trace the boy's position without difficulty, unfortunately becoming aware of the betrayal that was taking place at his expense in that very house. Likewise, there is no shortage of even more dramatic and absurd situations, such as distracted kids hit by cars while playing Pokémon GO.
For goodness sake, we are not here to demonize the choices and behaviors of others, but this should at least make us reflect: the GPS technology can actually give us emotions and concrete advantages, from the simple euphoria of a traveling game to the most praiseworthy use in favor of those who find themselves in real danger (see spyphone used to locate elderly people, children etc.). But as often happens, there is a limit to everything. In medio stat virtus, our Latin ancestors said. A recipe valid in any real or virtual circumstance, which should be paid more attention to avoid running into much more unpleasant and dangerous situations.
