According to a study conducted by researchers from Purdue University, over 100,000 car accidents in the United States are caused by the augmented reality video game "Pokemon GO." The research suggests that the different function of the application is one of the factors resulting to inattentive driving.
The study, titled "Death by Pokemon GO," centers on the reports gathered and distributed by the Tippecanoe County, Indiana about the influence of the game to road safety and driving behavior. According to researchers Mara Facio and John J. McConnell, the game is responsible two fatalities, 37 injuries, and an estimate of $500,000 in damage. It was also presented that the number of car fatalities in the county would have been fewer if the game was never introduced.
The researchers also presented an extrapolative statistics covering the entire country of United States. The final numbers revealed over 250 fatalities, 140,000 car accidents, and over $2-$7 billion economic costs. The study also points out the tendency of players to monitor their game for Pokestops and Gyms while driving.
A website was put up to monitor the number of fatalities and injuries caused by "Pokemon GO." PokemonGO Death Tracker has been updating its website of all harmful encounters involving the game. The earliest report of the website was a 21-year-old man who was stabbed while playing the game and then continued his pursuit of catching Pokemon after the attack occurred.
Niantic Labs, the company behind "Pokemon GO" has not released any comment or take on the study.
The game was released on Jul. 6, 2016 and has been one of the most-played augmented reality games worldwide. The game has been introducing new contents, such as Pokemon raids.
Despite the game being linked to several deaths and injuries, it still managed to receive impressive reviews from video game critics. IGN gave the game a 7 out of 10 score.
