Thursday 14 July 2016

Don’t come to Kremlin for Pokemons, Putin’s press secretary says...


© Sophia Kembowski
...come for other things.
Everyone’s abuzz with PokemonGo – even journalists in Russia, where the app is not available yet. But while hunters around the world trespass on private property, consider climbing into the White House, and wander around Holocaust museums, Dmitry Peskov, President Putin’s press secretary, pulled a long face.
"Pokemons are not a reason to visit the Kremlin, a treasury of world culture,” Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
The Kremlin is fascinating enough in itself, and anyone can visit it, even though it is the residence of the head of state, according to Peskov. The official acknowledged that he was unable to provide a qualified opinion on whether or not there are Pokemons in the Kremlin to catch, as he “doesn’t play games.”
© Anton Golubev
The Kremlin, which was built from 1482 to 1495, is one of the most well-preserved medieval fortresses in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
While the release is only “coming soon” in Russia, it appears some residents have already found ways to download the app.
The augmented reality game from Niantic Labs has been downloaded millions of times since it was released a little more than a week ago. Its sweeping popularity has seen the market value of Niantic Labs’ partner and the owner of the Pokemon brand, Nintendo, shoot up by approximately $7.5 billion in 48 hours.
The game requires players to visit various real world locations to “capture” virtual Pokemon with the use of a compatible device equipped with GPS and a camera.
One of the unusual side effects of the mobile phone phenomenon, however, has been the sight of people trying to “Catch ‘Em All” in places usually reserved for other things – like New York’s 9/11 memorial or the office of Israeli President Ruvi Rivlin.

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