Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Above: Brant Boltjes searches for Pokemon outside the Observer office in downtown Kimball.
Left: A photo taken with the smartphone application SnapChat shows area Air Force responding to a lure.
Pokemon Go, a new location-based, augmented reality game, has people out of the house and exploring new places in search of the fictional characters with mystical powers.
Not since the introduction of the Wii have gamers been as active. While encouraging many to get out and walk about, the craze may not be all fun and games.
In addition to distracting players from work and even driving it seems that some who have caught Pokemon Go mania have difficulty even walking safely.
Two men in their early 20s were recently rescued after falling off a Northern California cliff while trying to catch the characters. Instead of paying attention to the landscape around them, they were focused on their phones and the closest fictional character.
The official Pokemon Go website cautions players to be safe, never play while riding bikes, hoverboards or driving a car. The warning urges gamers to always be aware of surroundings and encourages group and team play.
In the Nebraska Panhandle the craze has already prompted billboards on the side of Highway 71 as well as Interstate 80 warning drivers to pay attention to the task at hand, not Pokemon.
Downtown Kimball is a hive of activity with Pokemon "hunters" of all ages as tweens, teens, young adults and even military men have caught the bug driving them, alone and with their team, to the downtown area on foot, bikes, boards and in cars and humvees because, they "gotta catch 'em all".