The Ministry of Information and Communications is considering the impact of Pokemon Go on society and may even ban the game in Viet Nam. — Photo baogialai.vn

HA NOI (Biz HUb) — The Ministry of Information and Communications is considering the impact of Pokemon Go on society and may even ban the game in Viet Nam.

Pokemon Go has attracted a large number of players in Viet Nam and many other countries worldwide. But after only a short time of being released in Viet Nam, Pokemon Go's impact is already evident.

Many young people are leaving home in the evenings and at night, crossing the road or driving on the street with their eyes on their phones hunting Pokemon.

Dam Van Son, a Hanoi resident, said a few irresponsible young people are threatening the lives and safety of others on the roadways in Ha Noi by playing Pokemon Go while driving a motorbike.

The Traffic Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security has advised Vietnamese people not to play Pokemon Go while driving because the behaviour is illegal and dangerous to drivers and others.

Le Quang Tu Do, deputy director of the MIC's Radio, Television and Electronic Information Department told VTV1 on August 17 that MIC is closely monitoring the effects of the game on people and society before considering the ban.

Pokemon Go has only been in Viet Nam since August 6. Therefore, we still need more time to assess the impact of this game, especially the negative impacts on society and gamers, especially young players. The Ministry of Information and Communications will decide whether to ban the game or not, but in the meantime warns people to be beware of the game, he said.

"For Pokemon Go in particular and online games in general, both local and foreign game distributors must comply with the provisions of Vietnamese law; otherwise we must take measures to protect players and build a healthy network environment," Do said.

In some countries, Pokemon Go has been banned. Most governments have told their citizens to be careful of themselves and those around them while playing the game.

Viet Nam is no exception as many people have voiced their concern over problems originating from the Pokemon Go craze. Worries raised have been about the safety of children, the risk of becoming addicted to the game, along with the risk of robbery and accidents.

Worldwide, the Iranian government and religious officials in Saudi Arabia have banned Pokemon Go as unsuitable for Muslim cultures. Kuwait also banned people from playing Pokemon Go in government agencies while voices in Russia and Egypt are actively calling on their governments to ban the game.

Countries such as Israel, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia have asked soldiers to not play Pokemon Go and have prohibited people from hunting Pokemon at several important areas.

On August 17, MIC issued a dispatch recommending Pokemon Go players follow five rules, one of them being not to play the game near the offices of the Party and State agencies, military and defense areas and prohibited zones.

The Ministry asked newspapers to widely report their recommendations to readers.

The Ministry also said it will ask Pokemon Go developers and owners to comply with Vietnamese law when promoting the wildly popular augmented reality game in the country.

The ministry also warned local players of safety issues, both online and in the real world.

Developed for smart phones by US firm Niantic Labs in association with Japanese video game company Nintendo, Pokemon Go was released in a number of countries in July before being launched in Viet Nam in early August. — VNS