Much of the UK is currently under lockdown as the nation attempts to get a handle on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These lockdown restrictions ask that people don’t leave their homes for unnecessary things, like playing the popular augmented reality mobile gamePokemon GO, for instance. However, not everyone is following the rules, with one man in the UK fined for breaking lockdown rules to playPokemon GO.
According to the BBC, a man traveled from Bedworth to Kenilworth to search forPokemon to catch inPokemon GO. He admitted as much to police and was fined £200 (which translates to roughly $270) for his actions. Speaking to the BBC, a spokeswoman for the police said, “We would like to remind people they must not leave or be outside their home unless they have a reasonable excuse.” Despite what somePokemon GOfans may think, playing the game is not a reasonable excuse to break lockdown.
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This isn’t the first time that someone has broken lockdown rules to playPokemon GO. Last year, an Italian man was stopped by police after he and his daughter were caught outside playingPokemon GO, as he needed to “hunt the Pokemon.” The man was reportedlycharged for his decision to break lockdown to playPokemon GO, though it’s unclear what punishment he faced exactly.
While recentPokemon GO-related fines and legal troubles revolve around the COVID-19 pandemic, players used to get in trouble for other things. At the height ofPokemon GO’s popularity, it wasn’t uncommon for stories top pop up about people entering private property in search of Pokemon. There were also multiple instances ofpeople playingPokemon GOwhile driving, which had deadly consequences in some cases.
To its credit,Pokemon GOdeveloper Niantic has long had warning messages in the game advising people to verify that they are playing it safely. It has alsomade changes toPokemon GOto account for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, making it easier for players to play the game without leaving their homes. This clearly still hasn’t stopped people from leaving their homes to playPokemon GOanyway, though hopefully that behavior comes to an end.
Eventually,Pokemon GOplayerswill be able to play the game like normal again, but for now, it may be best for most players to play the game from the safety of their home instead of venturing out into the world.
Pokemon GOis out now for iOS and Android mobile devices.
