Unless you've been living on a boat in the middle of nowhere or in a cabin without internet access, you've probably heard of Pokémon Go. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be writing about the liability issues associated with an electronic fantasy game, but Pokémon Go is not your average craze. With millions of gamers playing it worldwide, the fact that it crosses over from fantasy into the physical world brings some very real liabilities with it, and all of them occur in the real world.
Hopefully there won't be a lot of new claims associated with the game, but if there are, they will be investigated just like any other. A number of auto accidents and robberies have already been attributed to people playing the game. There have even been some shootings and many incidents of trespassers looking for Pokémon “gyms.”
Museums and famous landmarks have not been immune either. Anxious to maximize the game's popularity, some businesses, stadiums and landmarks have offered special times when hunters can search for the elusive creatures without fear of trespassing. A few have even hired “guides” to help the intrepid hunters find characters.
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