The new age of the smartphone has resurrected the Pokémon craze from the 1990s in a completely new version of the once popular handheld Gameboy Nintendo game. With the help of the smartphone’s GPS, Pokémon Go requires individuals to physically enter the real world to chase Pokémon located on the phone’s map. The game randomly places the miniature monsters around the world, and the user must physically track them down.

Positives: This new interactive platform encourages kids to move around in an effort to find the little alien monsters. People are walking miles to track them down. Since its release on July 6, Pokémon Go has quickly grown to become the biggest mobile game in U.S. history, according to SurveyMonkey. Nintendo added over $7 billion to its market value in a single week.

The Not So Good: The Pokémon are everywhere. As a result, individuals are traveling everywhere to catch them, including on to private property, into hospitals, and even in Simba’s den. We used to think texting and driving was dangerous; now you should be aware of individuals hunting and driving. Additionally, please refrain from the hunt while you are on the clock. Employers may now be less concerned about Candy Crush distractions, and more concerned about team hunts in the office.

Employers have to be concerned about the safety of potential hunting visitors and trespassers. For example, individuals have been known to catch critters in electrical substations. Hopefully Pikachu and Electrike (two electric harnessing Pokémon) can be found elsewhere.

In an effort to catch ‘em all, employees on the hunt lose attentiveness to their surroundings, which can lead to injuries. An obvious employer concern is lost productivity. One other issue is that Pokémon Go has access to the phone’s GPS and camera, creating a more than theoretical risk of security breaches.

Print:
Email this postTweet this postLike this postShare this post on LinkedIn
Photo of Keith A. Ashmus Keith A. Ashmus

Designated Best Lawyers’ “2016 Lawyer of the Year” in Labor Law-Management in Cleveland and named to the Top 100 Ohio Super Lawyers, Keith is nationally recognized as a respected advocate and a trustworthy neutral. His practice focuses on employment law and business…

Designated Best Lawyers’ “2016 Lawyer of the Year” in Labor Law-Management in Cleveland and named to the Top 100 Ohio Super Lawyers, Keith is nationally recognized as a respected advocate and a trustworthy neutral. His practice focuses on employment law and business law, as well as mediation and arbitration cases around the nation. Keith is a Past President of the Ohio State Bar Association and a Past Chairman of both the Labor Law Section and the ADR Committee of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association.

Keith is a recognized advocate for small business, having served as Chair of both the Council of Smaller Enterprises and the National Small Business Association. He has testified before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives Committees, as well as the Ohio General Assembly, in support of small business positions.

Photo of Justin Younker Justin Younker

Justin was a Frantz Ward Summer Associate in 2016 before becoming an Associate with the firm. He received his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law where he graduated magna cum laude. Justin was a legal writing tutor, recipient of the Law…

Justin was a Frantz Ward Summer Associate in 2016 before becoming an Associate with the firm. He received his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law where he graduated magna cum laude. Justin was a legal writing tutor, recipient of the Law Justice Scholarship, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Cleveland State Law Review.

During law school, Justin worked in a small plaintiff’s firm in the greater Cleveland area where he gained experience requesting and answering discovery, drafting complaints, and writing motions. Additionally, Justin served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable Judge John Russo, Administrative Judge to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.

Prior to law school, Justin taught secondary English in rural Alabama through Teach for America. In Alabama, Justin served as a kicking coach for his school’s football team, chaired the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society, initiated the District’s AP program, and co-founded Higher Academics Summer School, an intensive summer boarding school for college-bound students. After his time in Alabama, he worked as a Dean of Students in a Breakthrough Charter School in Cleveland.