Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg is making headlines not because of any new laws nor issues, but simply because she was caught playing an augmented reality game. PM Solberg was photographed playing Niantic Labs "Pokemon GO" before her meeting with United States President Donald Trump.
Solberg is visiting the United States to discuss foreign affairs with President Trump. A picture of the Prime Minister playing "Pokemon GO" before the meeting then emerged online. In the photo, Solberg seems to be entering a gym. Some people and publications speculate that Solberg wanted to catch the North American region-exclusive Pokemon Tauros. Solberg told Norwegian media company Daglabet her reason for accessing the game. "There was a way to send a message with Pokemon to the family at home." This indicates that some of her family members are also "Pokemon GO" gamers.
This is not the first time Solberg was caught playing the AR application game. Back in 2016, the year of "Pokemon GO's" release, Solberg was also photographed playing the game during a debate session in Norway's parliament. Solberg is also known to be a big fan of the application game "Candy Crush." 56-year-old Prime Minister Solberg first assumed the role of PM back on Oct. 6, 2013.
The news about her playing before the meeting positive reactions from netizens. Many people found the picture funny and simply commended the Prime Minister for supporting the video game. One Norway citizen commented on PokemonGO Hub, saying, "Go Erna!! Good to see that prime minister want to catch them all. Proud Norwegian."
"Pokemon GO" is still one of the most recognized augmented reality application games in the world. Niantic Labs is keeping things interesting with new updates and adding new Pokemon to the roster and special events. Niantic is set to release another AR game based on the "Harry Potter" franchise this year, titled "Harry Potter Wizards Unite."
