Pokemon Go frenzy reaches UAE as fans urged to mind their surroundings

One of the most popular mobile games in the Apple store right now, Pokemon Go gives fans of the Nintendo franchise a chance to chase and catch the fantasy monsters all around the country.

The hot new phone app gives Pokemon fans the chance to chase and catch the fantasy monsters around the UAE.

ABU DHABI // Akiva Premachandra insists he had no idea he was in a Victoria’s Secret shop until he was approached by the puzzled shop manager.

To bystanders, the 20-year-old Sri Lankan appeared to be taking a photo of a mannequin – but his intentions were much more innocent.

He was catching a Pokemon.

“The odd thing is when I explained, the manager’s eyes lit up and he asked me if it was released already,” Akiva said.

He is one of millions to find themselves in such a situation after the release of Pokemon Go, now one of the most popular mobile games in the Apple store.

Pokemon Go gives fans of the Nintendo franchise a chance to chase and catch the fantasy monsters around the country.

Using the device’s GPS signal, the augmented reality application uses a street view of the player’s location, along with the camera and gyroscope on their mobile device to display an image of a Pokemon as though it were in the real world.

The app encourages users to explore their cities on foot, with popular spots such as the Burj Khalifa becoming centres for Pokemon Go players.

But since the release of the app, the internet has been flush with stories of people being injured while focusing on their screens, completely unaware of their surroundings. The craze has prompted a warning from Abu Dhabi Police that using mobile apps while walking in the city could be very dangerous.

“Be aware of your surroundings,” a spokesman said. “Don’t expect cars to know you are there. We need people to take the initiative and make sure they look both ways while crossing the streets.”

The app was released in the United States, Australia and New Zealand last week and while it works in the UAE, it is not yet available to download on the UAE Apple and Google Play stores.

“I’m a diehard fanboy though and I was connected to another countries’ app store, so I could use it,” said Akiva. “The thing is, people will have a lot of fun but I tripped walking around Qasba using the app, so people need to be careful.”

He urged people to stay hydrated and make sure they did not lose focus of where they were.

“After all, it’s meant to get people out of the house,” he said.

Despite the summer heat, another app user, Bader, took his son Abdul Aziz hunting rare Pokemon over the weekend.

“This is a way I can connect with my son,” said Bader, who was born and raised in Abu Dhabi.

He said the game took them to places they had not seen or paid attention to before. “I mean where there’s a ‘charmander’ sitting inside a rug store, yes, of course your focus is catching him but you can’t help but notice the Persian rugs,” Bader said.

But when crossing streets, he said his focus returned entirely to safety.

“When we get to crossings we put our phones down, hold hands and cross the street, then we get back to it,” he said.

“It’s crazy how much fun we are having.”