Pokémon Go quiz – can you catch the fake news story?

A selection of Pokémon characters. Photograph: pr

It’s hard to say which yet, but Pokémon Go is either the saviour of all mankind, or the newest stage of natural selection. We have been inundated with stories about Pokémon Go of late, and how the game has either improved someone’s life or massively endangered it. But how closely have you been paying attention? Which of these things actually happened?

1. Two men in California were so busy playing Pokémon Go that they fell off a 90ft cliff.

   1. True

   2. False

2. A French woman claims to have lost 4kg by playing Pokémon Go for a week.

   1. True

   2. False

3. A teenage girl was so busy playing Pokémon Go that she wandered onto a main road and got hit by a car.

   1. True

   2. False

4. 

   Level 23 Pokémon Go accounts are selling for $5,000 on eBay.

   1. True

   2. False

5. A wanted criminal was arrested in Michigan because he walked into a police station that was listed as a Pokémon gym.

   1. True

   2. False

6. A German man was detained after running on to a football pitch to catch a Pokémon during a match.

   1. True

   2. False

7. A New Zealander has quit his job to hunt Pokémon full-time.

   1. True

   2. False

8. David Cameron has been sighted catching Pokémon in the Witney Cineworld car park.

   1. True

   2. False

9. Firefighters had to rescue a trapped Pokémon Go player from an abandoned air raid shelter in Hampshire.

   1. True

   2. False

10. 

    Campaign organisers for Hillary Clinton have been loitering at known Pokestops and asking players to register to vote.

    1. True

    2. False

11. A Maine resident has been hospitalised for sleep deprivation after playing Pokémon Go non-stop for 92 hours.

    1. True

    2. False

12. Psychologists have claimed that Pokémon Go can help treat depression.

    1. True

    2. False

13. A technology website has introduced mandatory Pokémon Go breaks for all its staff.

    1. True

    2. False

14. A Montana teen was reprimanded by police after riding her horse across a busy intersection while playing Pokémon Go.

    1. True

    2. False

15. The Bosnian government has warned citizens not to play Pokémon Go on minefields.

    1. True

    2. False

16. An Egyptian politician has proposed erecting wireless broadband jammers around state institutions, in order to keep Pokémon players away.

    1. True

    2. False

17. The first marriage between people who met playing Pokémon Go has already taken place in Dusseldorf.

    1. True

    2. False

18. 

    Someone in Gloucestershire called 999 to report a stolen Pokémon.

    1. True

    2. False

19. Four separate Pokémon Go players have sought medical treatment after being attacked by seagulls in Blackpool.

    1. True

    2. False

20. Two Pokémon Go players were shot at by a man who mistook them for burglars.

    1. True

    2. False

Solutions

1:A, 2:B, 3:A, 4:A, 5:A, 6:B, 7:A, 8:B, 9:B, 10:A, 11:B, 12:A, 13:A, 14:B, 15:A, 16:A, 17:B, 18:A, 19:B, 20:A

Scores

1. 16 and above.

   Well done! You are officially an expert at Pokémon Go. You probably even know what a Pikachu is, don’t you? Nerd.

2. 11 and above.

   You are slightly better than average at retaining information about ephemeral news stories about faddy smartphone apps. Feel free to add this talent to your CV.

3. 6 and above.

   A pretty poor score. In fact, with a score this low, it’s a surprise that people don’t call you Rattata (or the name of another disappointing Pokémon that I just had to Google).

4. 0 and above.

   Bad show. You clearly haven’t been keeping up with Pokémon Go news. You don’t even know what Pokémon Go is, do you? Who do you think you are, huh? Some sort of responsible adult with better things to do?