‘Pokémon GO’ make a splash

'Pokémon GO' was launched in July 2016 , a game created by the Nintendo Company and NIANTIC Company. It has been released in major areas such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Britain. The company reached 10 million downloads in one week, and earned a revenue of $5000 billion last year. In addition, the price of Nintendo's shares surged up to 120 percent in just two weeks and has gained huge popularity all over the world. Although the news came from South Korea, it was excluded from the launch list due to Google Maps data errors. After 'Pokémon GO' was released, it was launched in Korea on January 24, 2017. Due to requirement about outdoor activity and cold winter weather, the game did not expect many players and reactions. Unlike the expectation, it has become the only number one player in the Android game app in one day. On the first day, 2.9 million people downloaded the app and more than 5 million people downloaded it just in five days. In addition, it is also ranked from the first and the fifth place to identify the location of the Pokémon, information of the Pokémon and the location of the gym for the 'Pokémon GO.'

Let's learn more about the 'Pokémon GO,' gaining popularity. 'Pokémon GO' is a mobile game created by combining GPS and augmented reality (AR). Augmented reality is visual technology, which puts virtual image on the reality display. The augmented reality is a common reason that ‘Pokémon go’ can become more popular around the world. Unlike the general games that have been released so far, 'Pokémon GO' is characterized by the nature of augmented reality games as if people are playing a game in virtual reality. After starting a game and selecting a character, you can get a Pokemon. If you turn on 'Pokémon GO' and walk outside, you can see a Pokemon with the sound of the vibrations. If you shine a spot on the camera, you can see a Pokemon indicated in reality world based on augmented reality. You can capture the monster by throwing away a 'monster ball' at Pokemon. 'Pokémon GO' players can be 'Pokemon trainers' and catch Pokemons in the real world in person. There are also places called a 'pocket stop' on the map of 'Pokémon GO.' It is where you can get some items or Pokemon eggs that you need. There are also gyms. The 'battle' in a gym is an interesting system that you can reach a certain level. You can set up a team of blue, red, and yellow and compete against each other by attacking and defending the gym. In this process, players may experience considerable freshness and fun. In addition, 'Pokémon GO' can be seen at present about 150 Pokémons per generation. Pokemons are the first Pokemon when they appeared in the world in the form of games and animations. These pocket monsters are the main characters of the game so that not only for children, but also for young adults in their 20s or 30s feel nostalgia from their childhood.

Problems Caused by 'Pokémon GO'

Starting the 'Pokémon GO' game in Korea, there were a lot of news like "I was able to get acquainted with my son as I started playing games," and "I got closer to my grandson through 'Pokémon GO' during the New Year Holiday." Unlike the advantages of 'Pokémon GO,' recent cases about 'Pokémon GO' are becoming more frequent. Lately, a junior high school student could not look around due to focusing on 'Pokémon GO,' so he got into a traffic accident. There is also a staggering situation in which people barely recognize a bike or a motorcycle is coming towards them. In England, teenagers entered a remote cave to catch a Pokemon. In the United States, an armed thief robbed a teenager's belongings using the Pokemon game. 'Pokémon GO' acted in outdoor has a positive effect of strengthening physical activity and increasing the floating population in historical sites and attractions, but it is expected to cause minor safety accidents due to carelessness of the immersion of mobile phones. As a result, we are planning to cooperate with home page, Internet news, SNS alerts, as well as police and education offices in order to prevent accidents in daily life caused by an augmented reality game.

Another problem is that cyber crimes abuseing 'Pokémon GO' craze are rising. A police agency said that some of the "Pokémon GO" applications such as information sharing and location confirmation operations for Pokemon capture, request excessive personal information. Regardless of the purpose and function of the application, collected personal information may be exploited as illegal use, so you should pay special attention to your personal information import agreement. If you've already done so, you'll need to remove the app or block it in your phone's settings. In addition, the malicious code disguised as a normal 'Pokémon GO' installation file has been found in Korea since last year, and malicious code distribution activities have been found several times in related applications overseas, too. So, users should be careful once again when downloading apps. Likewise, there are a lot of articles that sell 'Pokémon GO' related items or accounts on sites including used markets, and this type of posting involves exchanging money with each traders. So Internet fraud is likely to occur. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm whether fraud is reported through Cyber Cop before any related transactions and take measures by using a safe payment transaction system. The National Police Agency posted a notice on Cyber Cop about 'Pokémon GO' and quickly started an investigation if it reported fraud or malicious code damage. To solve these problems, the attitude of 'Pokémon GO' users is important besides the effort of the National Police Agency. We must accurately recognize that 'Pokemon GO' is for enjoyment in what could be boring everyday life and realize the seriousness of related crimes.

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