The global Pokemon Go obsession is spreading like wildfire with a reporter at a daily State Department press briefing having been caught hunting imaginary creatures during John Kirby’s attempt to outline the US-led coalition’s efforts to confront ISIS online.
Just as the State Department spokesman started his daily briefing on Thursday, touching on the global efforts to confront Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) online, Kirby’s attention was suddenly diverted to one of the reporters sitting in the room.
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Right in the middle of the sentence, Kirby switched from the IS online propaganda campaign to an online entertainment game when he called out a reporter for playing Pokemon Go.
“As the secretary said earlier today, though, and I think it’s an important reminder…” Kirby was saying , when he suddenly made the comment, “...you’re playing the Pokemon thing right there, aren’t you?”
The unidentified reporter responded:“I'm just keeping an eye on it.”
As if nothing happened, Kirby resumed his briefing, saying: “We recognize [IS is] a challenge, and we’re clear-eyed about the work we still have to do.”
“Did you get one?” Kirby wondered after concluding his IS train of thought.
“No. The signal is not very good,” the reporter replied, and it remains unknown whether he was lucky over the rest of the hour-long briefing.
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The Pokemon Go mobile game is the latest in a series of Pokemon Company creations dating back to 1996. The recently-released game allows players to roam a map using their phone’s GPS location to find and catch Pokemon characters. The game has become a contagious phenomenon, forcing authorities worldwide to issue safety guidelines for sometimes careless players.