Real Fights Over Imaginary Battles?

One of the hallmarks of Pokémon Go is bringing fantasy into reality; it's one of the pioneers - if not the pioneer - of alternate reality, blending both fantasy and reality into a single ethereal experience. However, in some cases, the experience might get a bit too real, and the fantasy struggles that it presents escalate into real struggles, as in physical fights over the battles that are supposed to be imaginary. It sounds quite regrettable, and it actually is.

Recently, there was a report of an incident where one player assaulted another player for the sake of controlling a Gym. It is distressing to be sure, but what is even more distressing is that this took place in Hokkaido, Japan - the homeland of Pokémon - and the players involved are in the mid-50s, nearly seniors by most accounts. It's as if there's a "hidden mafia" for the game. This is certainly not the first; there have been reports of other similar incidents, but the coverage has been relatively isolated. The recent one, however, has been reported on two sources and forwarded in my raid groups three times, and therefore it has prompted me to make this post regarding this issue.

Conflicts like these likely had started from minor ones but with the same object of conflict: the takeover of Gyms. In my local area, I can identify some Gyms that are or may still be frequent objects of conflict, being that they often change from one team to another. The parties to the conflict may or may not be known, and some could even come "from higher up", but there is the sense that if the parties were to somehow meet and differences between them are not peacefully resolved, then it may lead to a conflict such as the above. Even so, it has to be admitted that my area tends to be peaceful and a conflict as above is not as likely to occur as in other parts of the world, but prudence is still in order.

The fact that these conflicts have occurred is, as described above, regrettable. The object of these games are really to have fun, not to be involved in greater frustration. And even if stiff competition arises for control and takeover of Gyms, it ought to be regarded as normal. Because it is normal, rivalries are likely to continue to happen in this regard, but then what becomes more important is maintaining the peace, because in the end every player (as Trainers in the game) are one and the same no matter what differences may occur. And if things still trend to a possibly intense conflict, then it may be time to step away from the conflict and seek other objectives.

Thanks to Pokémon Go, the creatures of Pokémon are real as real can be for these fantastical creatures. Unfortunately, there's a sense of the possibility that through it, real conflicts might become even more real, and that has in fact been the case. As far as things go, it may be best to leave those conflicts outside of the realism, and to focus on the realistic fantasy for which everything in the game truly is.

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