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Lawmakers may introduce restrictions for use of Pokemon Go game in Russia

"It feels like the devil has come through this mechanism and is just trying to ruin us from within spiritually," First Deputy Chairman of the Security and Defense Committee of the Federal Council said
Franz Klitsevich, First Deputy Chairman of the Security and Defense Committee of the Federal Council Anna Isakova/The State Duma press service/TASS
Franz Klitsevich, First Deputy Chairman of the Security and Defense Committee of the Federal Council
© Anna Isakova/The State Duma press service/TASS

MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. Russian lawmakers plan to consider introduction of restrictions for the Pokemon Go game to protect society from irrevocable negative consequences, Franz Klitsevich, First Deputy Chairman of the Security and Defense Committee of the Federal Council, upper chamber of the Russian parliament, said in an interview with Izvestia newspaper.

"It feels like the devil has come through this mechanism and is just trying to ruin us from within spiritually. But I understand that today it is extremely difficult to control this area. I have the impression that it is imposed from the outside by people who understand that in a couple of years the consequences will be irreversible," the lawmaker said.

Klintsevich also proposed to exclude from the zone of this game religious institutions, prisons, hospitals and other social facilities, as well as burial sites and monuments. The latter, in his opinion, are sacred to many people, and one cannot experiment with them.

"Otherwise we will end up with intimate issues. We will be showing bathrooms. That is why we should ring the alarm," the senator said.

Earlier, the executive secretary of the Presidential Council on Civil Society and Human Rights Yana Lantratova said that the Council will develop recommendations on possible restrictions for the use of the game in the cemeteries and facilities controlled by state authorities. Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church also urged the population to refrain from "catching Pokemon" in the church.

Pokemon Go is an extensive multiplayer free-to-play online game with elements of augmented reality, developed by Niantic for IOS and Android devices. The game was released in July 2016. The game allows players to capture, train and fight with virtual Pokemon, which could be found in real world locations.

By now, the number of downloads of the game has exceeded 15 million, and the number of daily users is estimated at 20 million. In Russia the official release of the game is expected in the coming days.