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The walking Pokemon Go swarm takes over playground in Australia every night

Published Jul 14th, 2016 7:15AM EDT
Pokemon Go Rare Location
Image: YouTube

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Pokemon is so addictive that players can’t put the app down for reasons I can’t comprehend. We’ve already heard several Pokemon Go stories that defy reason, and things aren’t going to cool down anytime soon. Players can’t get enough of Pokemon hunting, regardless of what the effects on other people’s lives. The best example comes from Australia, where swarms of players take over a playground every night. They might be having fun collecting Pokemon and experience, but the residents in the area are pissed.

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Why is this suburb in Sydney so attractive to Pokemon Go players? Well, in Rhodes, you can access three PokeStops, which means they can collect more Pokemon than anywhere else.

pokemon-go-swarm-australia-1Image source: Facebook

“The reason why this location is so desirable is because there are three intersecting ‘PokéStops’,” a resident told BuzzFeed. “It results in triple experience points, triple monsters [Pokémon], and triple coins. There are also continual ‘lures’ in this zone, which means there is a constant flow of monsters.”

“The place is in complete chaos with crowds of well over 1,000 per night. There is a massive level of noise after midnight, uncontrollable traffic, excessive rubbish, smokers, drunk people, people who are ‘camping’ in the site, and even people peddling mobile phone chargers,” the person added.

Pokemon Go players, who would usually have to hunt Pokemon by travelling around town, have it easy in Rhodes. They just have to sit and wait for the action to happen, rather than go out of their way to find characters.

pokemon-go-swarm-australia-2Image source: Facebook

“Over 110 varieties [of Pokémon] have now shown up there, and the common Zubats and Doduo are rare as hell in Rhodes, so people are happy,” one of the organizers of the first meet-ups in Rhodes told Buzzfeed. The best part is all cultures and races are working together to catch these Pokémon and having a good laugh with no fights or abuse.”

Residents living in buildings nearby took the matter into their own hands one night, hurling waterbombs and eggs from balconies. Things might get worse as soon as Pokemon trading becomes a thing, as people will want to hunt down rarest elements and sell them to others. Rhodes might be even more popular among with Pokemon Go swarms.

Police threatened fines of $200 per person for hanging around, but it only issued traffic infringements in the Rhodes area.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.