Registered New York sex offenders will not be able to join the madding masses and play the augmented reality game, now a global phenomenon in terms of online gaming, Pokémon Go. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has asked the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to ban sex offenders from playing the game and other similar games in an effort to “safeguard New York’s children”, according to a press release.

Cuomo also sent a letter to Niantic, Inc. asking for cooperation from the software developer. In the letter the governor states that reports have led him to believe that the children of New York in their hunt for the augmented monsters might be being led right into the arms of dangerous sex offenders. Cuomo told Niantic that he hoped the current possible danger would not lead to tomorrow’s tragedy, saying, “The State has taken action to prohibit sex offenders from using this game, but we need your assistance to make certain that sex offenders will not continue to use Pokémon Go by technologically barring their use.”

The letter states that while there is potential for danger when children end up in places that might be unfit for lone children to wander, there is also potential for sex offenders to use the ‘lure’ feature of the game – the ability for businesses to put Pokémon in a certain place to attract customers – for misdeeds.

Cuomo goes on to say that a new condition of parole has been set for sex offenders that prohibits them from downloading or accessing the game, or any such similar online games. This will apply to 3,000 level 1, 2 and 3 New York sex offenders that are currently on parole.

Pokémon Go has already come under fire because of players straying into places they perhaps should not be looking, and this new ban points to the fact that there are plenty of problems that need to be ironed out concerning the game. In a report released last week New York state senators Jeffrey Klein and Diane Savino said that 100 locations in New York City known to be the residences of sex offenders had been visited. The report states that 57 Pokémon were found, and 59 Pokéstops and gyms were also found, close to the said residences.

Photo credit: Sadie Hernandez via Flickr