Although the Pokemon GO mobile app has not been formally released in Costa Rica, gamers are finding way to install the new game on their iPhones and Android-powered devices.

Pokemon GO is an augmented reality game that requires mobile devices equipped with Internet connectivity, camera, GPS, and Bluetooth. The game is the latest iteration of an entertainment empire that started in Japan 20 years ago; it essentially consists of capturing Pokemon, which are cute digital creatures that must be nurtured and trained for battle.

In Pokemon GO, the creatures appears in the real world. Players install the free app and point their smartphone camera to look for nearby Pokemon, which can appear anywhere in Costa Rica. In the game, public places such as stores, restaurants and landmarks are designated PokeStops and Pokemon Gyms; the former are shops where free items can be obtained to nurtured captured creatures while the latter are arenas where the Pokemon can battle each other for supremacy.

Pokemon GO was officially released in the United States and Australia a few days ago; people in Costa Rica have been installing the free app by means of proxies or other strategies that change the geographical region of their mobile devices. Sideloading is another option that bypasses the iTunes App Store or the Google Play digital marketplace.

Thus far, the Pokemon in Costa Rica have been appearing in odd places. Nighttime photos posted to the Facebook Timeline of LigaPokemonCR show players who have captured creatures outside of La Pantera Rosa (the Pink Panther,) an erotic strip club located in the sketchy southeastern corner of downtown San Jose. Another photo shows a winged Pokemon near the bus stops of Leon XIII, not far from the dangerous red light district north of the central market. It is not clear where the Pokemon Gyms are located since no one has yet achieved that level in Costa Rica.

According to a report recently published by Inverse, Pokemon GO players are causing pedestrians to suffer injuries while being distracted by the mobile app in public places:

users are still tripping over themselves, scabbing knees, and nearly getting in car accidents in order to [catch Pokemon]

Mike Schultz, a 21-year-old communications graduate on Long Island, New York was skating and scanning for nearby Pokémon when he took a tumble off his board.

Kyrie Tompkins, a 22-year-old freelance web designer, walked into a hole in the sidewalk and twisted her ankle after her smartphone vibrated to alert her of a nearby Pokemon.

One major concern related to Pokemon GO is that they can appear on streets and highways, thus leading to risky situations with drivers trying to catch virtual creatures. Another concern is that this mobile app consumes battery power rather quickly, which could be a problem for players stranded and without the means of calling 911.