Pokemon Go Explained

Pokemon Go, coloquilaly referred to as PoGo, is a free to play, location based, augmented reality game for iOs and Android. The game uses your mobile device's gps to locate, capture, battle, and train creatures called Pokemon. Almost anyone with children in the last twenty-one years can attest to the prevalence of the card and video game.
PoGo was developed by Niantic with the cooperation if Nintendo to take Pokemon into augmented reality world.

Now from a player perspective the way this works is you download the app and login. Once logged in for the first time, a player catches their first pokemon before going off to try and catch more. The premise of the game is to get out of the house, explore the city and area and to catch and battle pokemon while doing so.

Further information on the finer details of gameplay and the system can be found here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Go

Now as I was asked previously about the reports that PoGo was used by Russian agents in order to create a stir with the prior election, Id like to address that report here.

The report, as I have found it, according to both Forbes.com and CNN, boils down to this: a Faux Black Lives Matter group called "Don't Shoot Us", which is linked to a Russia linked Facebook account. While I lack the intel and resources to confirm or deny what a Russian group, official or not, may have done. What was reported by Forbes.com is thus:

"The group had presences across YouTube and Instagram as well as Facebook, but one of the most bizarre actions the page took was on its Tumblr site. In July 2016 when Pokémon GOfever was at its peak, Don’t Shoot Us created a contest that asked users to travel to sites where police had killed black victims, take over a nearby gym, and station a Pokémon there named after a police violence victim. Then you’d screenshot it, send it in and be eligible for Amazon gift cards."

According to the report, there is no evidence anyone ever entered the contest.

Those aiming this obvious attempt at using tragic instances to try and create a further media buzz, not to help solve the issue, but to cause further tension, clearly did not research the type of person they were aiming at.

There are two main types of player for PoGo, Hardcore and relaxed. Hardcore players are generally only interested in progressing as fast and efficiently as possible, their goal being to dominate the game. Relaxed players tend to be in it more for the fun, the comraderie and/or the exercise. No matter the style, players tend to not to be overly political in regards to playing. They are playing for fun, not to make a statement.

Past just the players, there is no way, within the app in order to message from one player to another. There is no evidence Niantic had anything to do with this attempted event and it is confirmed that all arrangements were made via third party sites. Even tho this did not directly involve Niantic they are reportedly actively looking into the matter proactively.

All that appears to have happened is that organizers attempted to capitalize on a growing world wide phenomon in order to make a stir.