Pokémon Go, the insanely popular mobile app that gained instant fame when it debuted earlier this month, already has a long list of casualties. While trying to catch Pikachu, Jigglypuff and the like, players have been mugged, fallen off cliffs, and even run into police cars. Now, the game is responsible for interrupting an important State Department briefing on the United States’ coalition against ISIS.
"You're playing the Pokémon thing right there, aren't you?,” State Department Spokesman John Kirby said to a reporter clearly enamored with his phone.
It might have been funny – if Kirby wasn’t in the middle of briefing the press on the Pentagon’s anti-terror efforts. Before the journalist’s interruption, Kirby informed them that the U.S. is committed to “launching international campaigns” and “accelerating global efforts” to combat ISIS’ vast online presence.
“Did you get one?” Kirby later asked the rude reporter, referring to his Pokémon hunt.
“No,” the reporter said. “The signal is not very good.”
Only in 2016.