Pokemon Go, Niantic's AR-based game now faces a possible ban in a U.S. city even as its release date in countries like India and China are yet to be announced.
Most recently, a man was taken into police custody in Russia for playing Pokemon Go inside a church. This trespasser is said to be staring at a long and hard jail term in a Russian jail.
However, now, in similar fashion, the authority of Des Moines city in the state of lowa are reportedly contemplating a total ban on playing Pokemon Go within city municipal limits.
As per an Android Authority report, officials have even petitioned Niantic to opt out of the game in their city limits. A special expert committee is also said to have been formed in this regard.
The ban, after it comes into place, bars anybody from playing Pokemon Go within the municipal limits of Des Moines.
The main reason attributed to the potential ban on Pokemon Go, is said to be the increasing accident rate in the U.S. city despite Pokemon Go's repeated warnings, to players, not to play the game while driving. However, this has not been adhered to by a majority of Pokemon Go enthusiasts, as per the Android Authority report.
The beach park and marina regions, in Des Moines, are now said to be hotspots for Pokemon Go players attempting to catch all Pokemons. The usually calm and peaceful regions are now reportedly flooded with people even in the night. These people are those on a mission to check out water Pokemons.
Also, Pokemon Go players reportedly frequent multiple gyms in the area in their quest for Pokestops.
"It's been a drain on the police resources. People are driving in there after hours. It's noise-related, they're leaving their garbage around. There are complaints that they're smoking marijuana and drinking", stated Sergeant Doug Jenkins.
At this point in time, the petition is still to be reviewed and considered by Niantic. It also seems that officials in Des Moines are divided over the issue that even after a successful ban on Pokemon Go, in their city limits, multiple other AR-based games could naturally serve as a cause for concern in a greater degree of severity than Pokemon Go.
Gamers, on their part, have voiced their thoughts on the above predicament, and a majority are of the opinion that the constitutional right of people should not be amended randomly by authorities.
