Nintendo’s latest offering, the augmented reality game “Pokemon Go,” is creating quite a frenzy all around the world and though the purpose of the game is to catch a Pokemon, one teenager in Wyoming caught something else through the game — a dead body.
Shayla Wiggins, 19, says that early Friday, the game prompted her to search a Pokemon in a natural water source.
Wiggins narrated to local news community County 10 that as she was walking towards the bridge along the shore, she noticed something in the water.
The teenager then had to take a second look only for her to realize that it was a body. She says the body was of an average-size male, wearing a black shirt and black pants.
The County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, in a statement posted by KCWY News 13 to its Facebook page, the office confirmed that a body had been found by someone walking in the area at 8:40 am Friday.
The statement adds that the death appears to be accidental in nature and possibly that of a drowning. The sheriff’s office added that the body had been in three feet of water and the identity of the dead body has yet to be known.
Speaking to KCWY, Wiggins says that she was really scared as she only went down the river to find a Pokemon.
According to C/Net, the game has been temporarily suspended in some countries, as the servers weren’t prepared for the massive popularity it has gained.
“Pokemon Go” is an augmented reality mobile game which mixes the real world with the virtual reality of the Pokemon world. The game uses players’ locations through GPS to trace the movements as they explore different areas to catch different Pokemons.
“Pokemon Go” players can travel to Pokemon gyms placed at major cultural landmarks, and can fight for control of these points on behalf of their chosen faction: Team Valor, Team Mystic, or Team Instinct.
The design of the game encourages players to move around outside. The map on the phone’s screens depicts real roads, parks, and bodies of water around.
As players move around, their avatar will move with them. Once they find a Pokemon, players need to tap on their screens to initiate an encounter.
To capture pocket monsters, players must flick Pokeballs at the creature that appears at the bottom of their screens. Hitting the Pokemon with a Pokeball will likely capture it, then it is theirs.
Players gain levels as a trainer – the higher the level, the more powerful Pokemon players are able to find to complete their “Pokedex”- the collection of Pokemon.
The app has already skyrocketed to the top of the charts for iOS and Android gadgets since its release on July 7.
For those who grew up watching the “Pokemon” TV show and playing “Pokemon Go” on Gameboy, the latest addition to the franchise is a piece of nostalgia.
Niantic Labs has temporarily halted the spread of the game to allow the company to add more servers. After its initial release in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, the game developer hit its first speed bump when the new smartphone game made its way in the U.S.
Users have reported problems signing up and playing, as many were eager to try out the hot new trend. Niantic Labs tweeted saying they’re adding more servers for the game, following which the game will then be released in more countries.
Reports say that with “Pokemon Go,” Niantic Labs has no plans to create something along the scale of another of their creation, “Ingress.”
The community is expected to grow larger and although “Ingress” has a huge player base, strategic game mechanics, and original sci-fi world is something the developer is proud of, Bhargava acknowledged the appeal of “Pokemon Go” and that Pokemon’s large fan base will likely dwarf “Ingress” quickly.