Taipei’s Beitou Park emerges as hot spot for Pokemon Go players

Taipei's Beitou Park has become a popular spot for players of the smartphone game Pokemon Go after news surfaced that rare monsters often appear there.

In the past, the park was extremely quiet at night, but it is now crowded with people, especially during night time.

According to police statistics, a total of 459 traffic tickets were issued at the park between Aug. 11 and 21, most of which were for illegal parking.

Many others have taken the MRT to chase monsters in Beitou. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. data showed that more than 10,000 passengers used the Xinbeitou station last Friday, a significant increase from the average of 5,000 passengers recorded on weekdays in the past.

Last Saturday and Sunday, the station handled more than 18,000 passengers, triple the number recorded on the last weekends of July, when only around 6,000 passengers used the station, the company said.

Taiwan is the third Asian market in which the game has been launched, following Japan and Hong Kong, since its release on July 6 in the United States.

Following its introduction into Taiwan on Aug. 6, various government authorities have issued warnings about road safety and traffic regulations and have highlighted the fines that Pokemon players risk if they disregard the regulations.

Source: Focus Taiwan