'Pokemon Go' at the Olympics in Brazil? Rio mayor hopes so
How do you make citizens and Olympic tourists forget about pollution, corruption, violence, Zika, financial shortages, mutilated body parts and security threats?
Rio de Janeiro’s mayor has an interesting ploy. How about we get them to walk around Rio with their heads buried in their smartphones trying to capture imaginary, fictional creatures?
That’s right, Eduardo Paes wants “Pokemon Go” in Brazil. He tossed out the idea on Facebook Wednesday, tagging Nintendo and, according to Facebook’s translation, saying:
“Hello, Nintendo! 23 days to go to the Olympics Rio 2016. The whole world is coming here. Come too!”
Pokemon Go is the wildly popular smartphone game sweeping through the United States. In less than a week, it became the most popular mobile game ever. Within three days of release, the app had already been downloaded more times than Twitter or Tinder.
Long story short, it’s an augmented reality scavenger hunt that is leading smartphone-wielding players of all ages to everywhere from public parks to bathrooms in search of Pokemon characters.
Last week, in addition to “Pokemon Go” debuting in the U.S., Nintendo released the game in Australia and New Zealand. It unleashed it in Germany and elsewhere in Europe on Wednesday, but South America has not yet been blessed with its presence. The Olympics begin on Aug. 5.
Rio might not know what it would be getting itself into though.
