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Feature: Latin America gotta catch 'em all as Pokemon Go goes live in the region

Xinhua, August 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

As Pokemon Go shot up the App rankings in the United States, Europe and Asia, Latin American fans had been wondering when they would get the same opportunity.

On Wednesday night, they got their chance as the game went live in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay and Chile.

John Hanke, the CEO of Niantic, the maker of Pokemon Go, took to Twitter and wrote in Spanish, "Hello Latin America! Get ready! You will soon find Pokemon in your countries!"

On Thursday, Latin American enthusiasts were eager to go on the hunt for Scyther, Hitmonchan or Marowak.

The app, which has already been downloaded over 75 million times in just over a month around the world, allows players to explore their neighborhoods and catch Pokemon, train them up and battle in gym battles.

It is seen as the first popular "augmented reality" app, which layers 2D gaming elements over the real world through cell phones.

Regional media jumped on the chance, with Mexico's Gamedots magazine writing "Finally, finally, finally, Pokemon Go is officially in Mexico."

Argentina's La Nacion daily also warned about the potential downsides of the game, noting that several careless players had had traffic accidents, walked into dangerous areas or even been arrested by playing in the wrong circumstances. It even cited the case of a couple in Arizona, U.S., who were arrested after leaving their two-year-old child at home alone to go hunt Pokemon.

In Buenos Aires, players could be found congregating in the large San Martin square, with journalist Mayra Garcia telling Xinhua that "I caught 19 on my bus trip in half an hour and they didn't steal my cellphone."

Even the government got in on the action, with the official Twitter account for the presidency recommending people to "stay alert and avoid accidents," accompanied by the hashtag #PokemonGoArg.

In Brazil, the Correio 24 Horas news portal reported robberies of players on the first day, including a teenager who got his cell phone stolen while playing in the town of Vila Velha, in the eastern state of Espirito Santo. Endit