Pokemon Go app: pros & cons

The newest craze in smartphone users hands, Pokemon Go.

The apps incredible popularity has some raising eyebrows about safety concerns. The Nintendo app, Pokemon Go launched last Wednesday and has already gained national attention, leading some to trouble.

Gamers can be as young as 13 to play the game, with parental consent.

Shaun Goodfellow, and Adriana Garza both met each other for the first time today while playing the app. Garza said, “it’s a fun way to meet people,” Goodfellow said, “it’s fun, but very addictive.”

The pros? You become very active, which could lead to weight loss. Goodfellow told ABC 17 news that he downloaded the app two days ago, and has lost five pounds per day while playing it. Other users told ABC 17 news that, it allows gamers to get out of the house and meet people face to face, without getting into chat rooms.

The cons? The locations can lead to some dangerous spots. According to Columbia Police Department, there hasn’t been any problems so far. However, not far from Columbia O’Fallon Missouri Officers took four suspects into custody after receiving a 911 call about armed robbers using the game to lure lone players.

Garza said, “I’ve seen people here hide in bushes.” Carson Redmon, another app user, said people have almost ran into him while playing the game.

CPD states they haven’t received any complaints directly related to the app. Looking at their calls for service, trespassing and suspicious person reports have gone down since the game has launched.

Players told ABC 17 that there have been some glitches within the game, servers crashing but it won’t stop them from playing.