In the prefecture of Hokkaido in Japan, there was an arrest due to a confrontation in Pokémon GO. Thus, the battle for a gym ended with police intervention.
It has been reported: The Japanese portal Sankei reports on a police intervention in Hokkaido. The information about it is not very detailed, but it seems that two trainers clashed because they were fighting over a gym.
Subsequently, a 56-year-old player was so angry that he grabbed his opponent by the chest and then destroyed the opponent’s car mirror.
Pokémon GO often leads to disputes
How did the argument end? The affected player called the police, who promptly arrested the 56-year-old. The perpetrator then said: “I was angry because he went ahead and took my gym.”
The perpetrator has now been arrested for assault and property damage.
It seems that the two trainers were friends and had met a few years ago through Pokémon GO.
This often leads to disputes: Defending gyms is a contentious topic in Pokémon GO. Currently, you can earn 30 coins per day through it. This is the in-game currency of Pokémon GO and can otherwise be purchased for real money.
However, those who do not want to spend money often rely on gyms. But to do so, you have to stay in the gym for several hours. If other trainers then take over the gym, you do not get the full 30 coins.
As a result, disputes have probably arisen in almost every community. Some trainers pay careful attention to gym times, while others do not care.
There was also a dispute here: In May 2019, we reported on a Japanese man who even became violent against a police officer because he was prevented from catching Pokémon.
During the peak of the Corona crisis, the police also had a lot to do with Pokémon players. In Italy, a 31-year-old was caught in March catching Pokémon despite a curfew. When the police asked about the reason for his outing, the player simply replied: “I have to hunt the Pokémon.”
