Pokémon Go has become the latest social topic of conversation. People of all ages are playing the Smartphone game but it is most closely associated with millennials. It has been attributed with many characteristics since its July 2016 debut. News reports have shown stories about criminals targeting players, players finding dead bodies instead of Pokémon and others falling off cliffs (read the story) and walking into other dangerous places while playing. There are even Pokémon dating services and couples enjoying Pokémon hunting and fighting on dates. In fact, it can be used for all manner of personal things, even exposing an affair.
One aspect of Pokémon Go that is causing quite a bit of controversy is the GPS functionality. The game uses real world attributes to help players find and catch their Pokémon. When players log on, they see an amplified version of Google Maps and are able to use it to find Pokémon, Pokestops and gyms to play the game. The busier the area, the more game pieces and events will be happening nearby, but also more people will be around. The games reliance on GPS to function allows it to make a digital footprint of every place you caught you Pokémon in the real world. Because it has been used by criminals to target people standing alone in parking lots, it has come under some federal scrutiny. The GPS has caused it to undergo scrutiny from girlfriends and wives worldwide.
It was only a few weeks after the debut of the game that the first news report surfaced. A man was single again after his Pokémon Go account exposed his affair. He’d been feeling a bit down and decided to visit his ex for a quick pick me up. While he was in the neighborhood he decided to hunt some Pokémon and caught a few. What he didn’t expect was his current girlfriend seeing he’d caught a Pokémon and checking it out. She could tell by the digital footprint that he had been in the ex’s neighborhood. When he could come up with no good excuse for the trip, he was unceremoniously dumped.
This little tale serves as a warning to all of us. While there have been other apps and games that use GPS functionalities, there has been nothing that has used it so imperatively. Every movement you make is used to determine what happens next in the game. From your movement to your location, GPS functionality is super important in Pokémon Go. As such a major part of the game, it came be easily seen by anyone with a passing access to your phone. Anyone with a sense of direction, familiarity with their area and a healthy curiosity could track you daily movements by your Pokémon catches, training and battles.
The best course of action is to be aware. Not everyone who plays the game realizes that it can be used to track an affair and eventually expose it. Once you have that knowledge you can take precautions against it. One easy way to curb the problem is to not use the game when you are in questionable locations. If you are having an affair, do not use the app while at her house or on a date with her unless you have an ironclad excuse for being where you are, when you are. Another way to avoid trouble is to keep your phone locked. Do not make it easy for someone to snoop through your phone when you’re not looking.
Overusing the app can also get you busted, especially if you only use it on certain occasions. If you’re not a big player or you only play at certain times, but your suddenly into it and dashing out at a moment’s notice to chase down a catch, you’re giving yourself away. It wouldn’t be difficult for your wife or girlfriend to find out exactly where you were playing the game or if you were playing the game. The key is not to drastically change your schedule or routine you have previously been using to play the game. Don’t make any big changes. Take things exactly as you have and make smaller, less noticeable changes at a slower pace to better utilize the app for dating another woman.
Pokémon Go is much like any other social media sensation or new trend that spreads like wildfire. It becomes such a part of the human experience that people find ways to use it in almost every faction of their lives. The key is learning to keep your private life out of the line of fire. While that may seem impossible in this day and age, it just takes a bit of positive action and cautionary thinking. Advice of the day is; proceed with caution.
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