UK man fined for breaking lockdown to play Pokemon GO

A man in the United Kingdom was fined for breaking lockdown after he left his house to shamelessly play Pokemon GO.

In the UK, there are currently lockdown restrictions that mean people can't leave their houses unless they have a reasonable excuse. The UK man had decided that he needed to go outside and play Pokemon GO as his excuse. On his journey, he made his way from Bedworth to Kenilworth.

Police stopped him and questioned why he was out of his house and breaking the lockdown rules. The man admitted to playing Pokemon GO in order to catch more Pokemon while out.

Because of his breach of lockdown in order to play the game, police fined him roughly 270 USD, or £200. Police also spoke to BBC who wrote the initial article, and they said "Everyone has a part to play in ensuring they slow the spread of the virus. We would like to remind people they must not leave or be outside their home unless they have a reasonable excuse."

Police cited his official reason for arrest as, "contravening the requirement to not leave or be outside the place they live without a reasonable excuse."

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Pokemon GO during lockdown, and how it has evolved during the pandemic

Pokemon GO is a game that is built around players going outside and interacting with other players or the rest of the world. It's an aspect that made the game so popular when it was initially released.

However, those qualities have clashed with many of the ideas from 2020 and into 2021. Now, people are told to stay inside and avoid leaving for unnecessary reasons, which can include Pokemon GO. That's even more true for the UK, where lockdowns have become far more strict after a new strain of COVID-19 was discovered in the region.

To combat the change in rules around the world, Niantic implemented many changes to Pokemon GO to accommodate players. One of the major changes was towards the raiding system in the game. Initially, players needed to walk to a physical gym location in order to participate in a raid with other players.

Of course, that wasn't as feasible, and Pokemon GO received remote raid passes. Players could then participate in raids within a certain distance, and could also be invited to other raids that were even further away.

Incense will also cause Pokemon to appear without having to leave the house, but those have always been a part of the game. Fans will just have to adapt to the way of the world when playing Pokemon GO.