By: Kira Demund, contributing intern (@kiracarinaa) There’s no place quite like home and that may be the reason ‘Pokemon Go’ is now available for fans in its origins of Japan. After its highly anticipated release, the app was downloaded more than 1.3 million times within the first three hours Friday (July 22) according to media reports. Japan, the latest country to join in on the fun, had to wait on developers to ensure that servers could handle the game’s popularity. Right after its release, players quickly zeroed in on busy train stations and shopping districts in Tokyo to get their hands on popular Pokemon characters such as Charizard and Pikachu. Serkan Toto, a Tokyo-based game industry consultant, said, “There’s no question this is going to become the No. 1 downloaded application in Japan, and much more importantly, the No. 1 grossing application.” (via USA Today) ‘Pokemon Go’ has perhaps been the biggest digital cultural phenomenon all summer. The app has had more than 30 million downloads according to the app SensorTower. The app has garnered so much popularity in other countries, that users have reported injuries while playing the game. In hopes of ‘catching them all’, users have endured car injuries, robberies, and even cliff-fallings. Japan’s government has already cautioned players to be weary of their surroundings while playing the game. Users were warned also not to use their real names and the risks of heat strokes given Japan’s climate. So far, there have been zero reported injuries. China, the world’s biggest smartphone and online gaming market, is still one of many countries yet to acquire the popular app. Niantic Chief Executive John Hanke said launching the app in China is technically possible; however, there are many rules and regulations that come with it.
