With any popular game, also comes controversy. The various issues and complaints surrounding Pokémon GO aren’t news. But Polygon has obtained specific complaint information from the Federal Trade Commission detailing some of the complaints.
The information in the report contains 72 complaints that had been filed since the game’s launch earlier this summer up through September 13. Many of them are about things we’ve already heard about: kids wandering into traffic, Gyms or Pokéstops located on private property or other objectionable places and account issues when the game had problems with its servers. A few other complaints centered around the information that the game accesses in players’ Google accounts. Here are a couple of the complaints. You can visit Polygon for the complete rundown.
“We are a small hospital in Oregon and Nintendo Pokémon Go players are descending on our halls and asking to go into private areas to take pictures and get their game points. In the process, they may see our patients in rooms and halls. Our hospital works to carefully protect patient privacy and is in a dilemma, protect privacy versus public service. We ask that Nintendo NOT allow hospitals or clinics to listed as sites where anyone may locate a Pokémon target.”
“I am deeply upset and concerned about the safety of every person playing Pokémon go especially the children. I almost killed a child today who was riding his bike and veared into the road way holding his cell phone up. I have many friends and family member who report similar instances and I see on the news it is possible a death occurred due to this game and countless injuries and even attacks on those not paying attention to their surroundings. This has to be one of the most unsafe products out! Not only for those who purchased it but for those who have not and may get in a car accident because of someone else playing it. Please please get this product off the market asap!!!! Before children are killed!!!!!!! —- Additional Comments: Recall! Get it off the market!! It is unsafe!!!”
That latter comment like many other we’ve seen fails to take into account personal accountability on the part of players. It’s also worth noting that 72 complaints isn’t really that high of a number considering the number of people who have played the game.
