The Dangerous Issue Pokemon GO Is Fixing From The Last Update
"Pokémon GO" released a recent update that introduced a couple of new features, kicking off a "solstice-themed event" in the popular AR game. Unfortunately, the update also included an unintentionally dangerous feature: a possible epileptic trigger. A "bright white light" reportedly flashes when loading Pokémon on the screen during encounters, and it has caused some concern among the player community.
In a Reddit thread titled "Newest PoGo update causes seizures," user SuddenHelicopter6604 called attention to the issue and recounted their experience with the newest update. "The average player might not notice but I have epilepsy and some other issue where bright flashes can cause seizures. After playing for some time at night (when it is getting dark or dark), I'm getting sick due to this update," they wrote. As the player explained, the symptoms they've experienced apparently signal an oncoming seizure.
The thread now has over 4,000 upvotes and multiple comments from other players sharing their experiences and discussing the lighting issue. The bright light SuddenHelicopter6604 mentioned may also act as a migraine trigger.
"Thanks for the warning! I don't have seizures, but I do have photo-sensitive migraines, and repeated bright flashes like that can leave me laid up for days," one user commented.
Redditors agreed that the flashes typically appear when loading Pokémon in the game. However, the light now appears to last longer and sometimes inconsistently, which may further contribute to the discomfort that players are experiencing.
Niantic is working on a fix
SuddenHelicopter6604 said they reached out to Niantic about the problem, and the company appears to have taken notice. In a statement to Dexerto, the company confirmed that it has changed the transition time between screens and that it is working on a fix that will hopefully be released later in the week.
According to Dexerto, players were already in an uproar over the June 11 patch because of bugs and lag, but this brought things to a whole other level. Hopefully Niantic's new update patches the issues, health-threatening or otherwise.
This isn't the only video game to make the news for epileptic concerns in recent months. Just earlier this year, "Cyberpunk 2077" caused a stir because of how some aspects of the game triggered epileptic reactions in sensitive individuals. Game Informer's Liana Ruppert reported having a grand mal seizure while reviewing the game, which led developers to immediately start looking for a solution.