Society should not overlook positive aspects of Pokemon Go, says Idris Jusoh

GEORGE TOWN: A senior Cabinet minister has urged society to look at the positive aspects of Pokemon Go instead of merely focusing on the negative aspects of the game.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh (pix) said the popularity of the game and similar mobile applications is a new challenge which should be viewed broadly.

He cited ride sharing service Uber as an example which received a lukewarm response at first with criticism and brickbats as well.

Idris said this changed when people compared the fares between the taxis and ride sharing services and chose to use the latter instead.

"We should not view something from only one perspective as trends and culture change," he said at a press conference today after opening the Flexible Education Colloquium at University Sains Malaysia here.

Pokemon Go, a game which lets users capture digital monsters in an augmented reality setting, has become immensely popular after the app was released earlier this year.

However there are concerns on safety as accidents and trespassing reports have emerged after users played the game while driving or wandered into off-limit areas in their hunt.

Idris nonetheless said his ministry will let the universities decide whether to impose limits on playing the game in campuses.

"I respect the management and I am pretty sure they know what to do, they are all smart people," he quipped.

In a related development, police issued 15 summonses to motorists who parked haphazardly along Lebuh Acheh and Lebuh Cannon here early Tuesday morning.

Northeast district police chief ACP Mior Farid Al Atrash Wahid said police conducted the checks following complaints by residents on the parking snarl and noise people were making while hunting for Pokemon.

"Players should not allow the game to become a nuisance to others and ensure they play safely," he said in a Facebook post today.