Pokemon No-Go in Sydney’s courtrooms

Fans of the Pokemon smartphone craze sweeping the world have wandered inside NSW courthouses in their quest to play the game - and been told to leave.

Sarah Betar, Shajara Khan, Remi Siciliano and Mari Scorgie play the game in Hyde Park. Picture: Richard Dobson

OBSESSED fans of the Pokemon smartphone craze sweeping the world have wandered inside NSW courthouses in their quest to play the game — requiring sheriff’s officers to escort them out.

Players have turned up at Parramatta and Liverpool Courthouses as well as the Downing Centre in the CBD, prompting a warning yesterday from the NSW Department of Justice that people with phones in court could be heavily fined or even face jail time.

“Going to court is not a game — Pokeman Go trainers should look elsewhere for digital critters,” a spokesman said.

The game, released less than a week ago, has added $10 billion to shares in the Japanese parent company Nintendo, with data analysts from the United States estimating its popularity will soon rival Twitter.

Drivers have sprung up around Australia offering their services to keen players who need to hunt down more points by travelling to local landmarks.

Police have also issued warnings about distracted Pokemon Go users being injured in traffic.

The worldwide craze, and just a few weeks old. Picture: AAP

The app uses GPS tracking and the camera on a phone to merge the classic twenty-year-old game with augmented reality.

“It’s fun because people love collecting, and by using the camera and artificial reality along with the characters, it becomes even more interesting,” says Sarah Betar.

She’s one of dozens of blue-themed Team Mystic players who gathered outside the Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park in Sydney yesterday to swap stories and go on a hunt through city streets.

Many users were frustrated at the technology glitches infecting the game — so many people tried to play and download the free app it crashed in Australia, prompting 971 complaints to a website recording outages.

“It was very frustratating this morning,” said Remi Sicliano, “They still need to fix the glitches, but the game is great. I used to play Pokemon as a child, so I think that’s also why a lot of people like it.”

Campbelltown man Colin Chapman said he initially offered his services to drive Pokémon hunters around for $30 an hour as a joke, not expecting any reply.

Christian Thorpe and Nikki Schumann with Pokemon Go on the Strand. Picture: Evan Morgan

Players from ’Team Mystic’ taking part in a group game of Pokemon Go. Picture: Richard Dobson

“I’m really surprised, I didn’t realise how big this whole thing had gotten, but everyone seems to be into it,” he said.

“It was actually a bit of a joke at first, but I figured if someone wanted to pay me $30 an hour to drive them around while they catch Pokémon, they were welcome to.

“And they do.”

Since posting his ad on the Narellan Community Noticeboard on Facebook he had received at least 10 expressions of interest and several firm offers.

Newcastle man Mathew Wrightman has also experienced success offering his services to would-be Pokemon champions.

“There are a lot of people ranging in ages from 40 even, just walking their dogs playing Pokemon Go,” he said.

Already more than 60 per cent of those who have downloaded the app in the US are using it daily, translating to around three pc of the entire US Android owning phone population.

The game, which is Apple’s most downloaded free app, is estimated to log more daily active users than Twitter within a few more days.