Seven locations that show just how crazy the Pokemon Go craze is
It's been less than a week, but we're all now living in a Pokemon World.
At a time of deep political uncertainty, many are no doubt welcoming a little light distraction, but the obsession might well have some influence on the next round of productivity figures as everyone attempts to catch 'em all.
The craze has certainly unearthed some insights into human nature, the way we behave and how we engage with technology, as we can see from these nine crazy things that have happened so far…
1. Mind the Gap
The latest unusual place to pick up a Pokeball is perhaps not the safest. One commuter spotted one on the Tube tracks at High Street Kensington.
As if we weren't already too engrossed in our phones to notice things like, er, cars, trains and buses, travel and police authorities in New York were forced to issue such reminders as don't play Pokemon while driving or step over the line at stations. Really.
Hey #PokemonGO players, we know you gotta catch 'em all, but stay behind that yellow line when in the subway. pic.twitter.com/wjyfHBzalS
— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) July 11, 2016
2. Mind the inappropriateness
There's dangerous and then there's just disrespectful. The Holocaust Memorial Museum in the US has been forced to ask people not to catch Pokemon as it is "extremely inappropriate". The museum is trying to have the location removed from the game.
3. The frontline
What else would you be doing while fighting Isis on the frontline in Iraq? To be fair, there's likely to be a lot of downtime, so one man has claimed the title for craziest location to catch one.
Posting a picture of the find on Facebook, he said: "Just caught my first Pokemon on the Mosul front line by Teleskuf. Daesh, come challenge me to a Pokemon battle. Mortars are for pussies." Understandably, the post went viral.
4. Scene of death
One of the game's USP's that has been praised is that it gets people off the sofa (where they're glued to their phone) and out and about in the real world (where they're, er, glued to their phone). When one young woman was searching for the required body of water to find a Pokemon, she was in for more than she bargained for, finding an actual body.
5. Labour
No, not that Labour (but you'd be forgiven for thinking so in the current political climate. One man's opportunity to catch one came at a less than frivolous time – as his wife was about to give birth. Without thinking twice he caught it.
6. TUC
Ask someone to go somewhere and do something, and they'll quite sensibly say "what's in it for me?". If it's Pokemon, then people are apparently very willing – and one unusual group has cottoned onto that.
Find #pokéballs at TUC HQ on #PokemonGo. Come inside and say hi to get a free doughnut too! Gotta organise 'em all! pic.twitter.com/Cq0VMc9Ke6
— Trades Union Congress (@The_TUC) July 12, 2016
All doughnuts have now been eaten, however you can still find #pokeballs at TUC HQ and drop in to say hi!☺️ #Pokemon pic.twitter.com/Dvwm0yr4x1
— Trades Union Congress (@The_TUC) July 12, 2016
7. Church and state
When you live in a converted church, perhaps you might worry about some kind of haunting. Now one man has the very real life spectre of Pokemon fans to contend with.
https://twitter.com/boonerang/status/751849519407595520
Locations like churches across the US are set up as locations for training the Pokemon users have collected, known as Pokemon Gyms.
And that has raised some rather existential questions.
https://twitter.com/boonerang/status/751869221240528896
https://twitter.com/boonerang/status/751983397363445760
https://twitter.com/boonerang/status/751983639781597188
https://twitter.com/boonerang/status/752141919623446528
And one place you can't play Pokemon…
The craze still remains earthbound… for now at least. Nasa has said there are only a few smartphones on the International Space Station apparently, and they're not for playing Pokemon.