Players get hurt hunting for ‘Pokemon Go’ monsters

Beware: “Pokemon Go,” a new smartphone game based on cute Nintendo characters like Squirtle and Pikachu, can be harmful to your health.

The augmented reality game, which layers gameplay onto the physical world, became the top-grossing app in the App Store just days after its Wednesday release in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.

[...] players have reported wiping out in a variety of ways as they wander the real world — eyes glued to their smartphone screens — in search of digital monsters.

[...] the game has also led people to post pictures of themselves on social media chasing creatures in all sorts of dangerous situations.

“You don’t actually have to step inside in order to gain the pokeballs,” the Northern Territory Police Fire and Emergency Services says on its Facebook page.

[...] players are meeting face to face, despite the fact they arrive at high schools, water towers and museums by staring at their screens.