Pokemon In ‘Pokemon GO’ Will Scream When Near Sex Offender’s Address: Is This True?

Pokemon GO is a new game that everyone is loving! In short: You go out and use your phone to chase the Pokemon all over town. A new post went viral on social media saying that if you are playing Pokemon GO and you get near the home of a sex offender, the Pokemon would scream. This is a great idea, and a good way to keep kids from going near a home that they shouldn’t! However, according to Snopes, this is not true at all, and the Pokemon don’t even realize they are close to a sex offender’s home.

Hey @NianticLabs This is why we need #Pokevision. #PokemonGo pic.twitter.com/GwyKZpGexI

— Katy (but like, cool) (@my_fair_katy) August 8, 2016

This rumor started when a website called Clickhole shared about this Pokemon GO. They shared a story sharing the details below.

“The new patch seamlessly integrates data from the national sex offender registry with Pokémon Go’s augmented reality gameplay, keeping players safe without obtrusive pop-ups. Any wild Pokémon that you encounter within a one-mile radius of a known sex offender now let out a full-throated howl through your phone’s speakers, letting you know to stay alert on your quest to catch ’em all.”

It turns out that this site specializes in satire, and they make up fake news. This Pokemon GO news was totally fake even though it is a great idea. This site is actually a spin-off of The Onion. Both of them are constantly posting fake news and confusing people with fake articles.

The Clickhole story went on to explain more details about the Pokemon GO characters screaming.

“And Niantic didn’t just stop there. Beyond direct encounters, players can also hear the faint screams of nearby Pokémon who are not yet visible on screen but in the vicinity of a pervert and use their volume to steer clear of their location. Plus, even if there’s no wild Pokémon right in front of you, you can always check to see if the Pokémon you’ve already captured are currently shrieking. The update has also inadvertently added a fun new gameplay dimension for die-hard completionists, who can now challenge themselves to hear all 151 Pokémon’s distinct screams on top of just completing their Pokédex. Awesome!”

When playing Pokemon GO, people will head to an area they think a Pokemon is located, which sometimes has them ending up in places they shouldn’t be. The idea that there would be a way to keep children away from sex offenders is a great idea, but sadly, this isn’t true.

However, there is one thing that will keep sex offenders away from children when they are playing Pokemon GO. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that registered sex offenders in the state were banned from playing the augmented reality game as a condition of their sentences. They are not allowed on social networks, and Pokemon GO is being added to this list. Of course, this may not keep them from playing the game, but they aren’t allowed to be on it, which should hopefully keep them from walking around in the areas where children are playing.

Pokemon GO is really popular and is winning people over all over the world. Everyone just has to find a way to play Pokemon GO in a way that is safe and won’t harm anyone. Keeping sex offenders off the game is just one more step in the right direction.

Are you shocked to hear that this Pokemon GO story is not true? Do you think that it would be a great idea if they could somehow scream and let people know they are near a sex offender? Sound off in the comments below.

[Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]