Pokémon GO's popularity has challenged mobile data networks around the world as millions of consumers have pinged 4G LTE and 3G towers day and night while on the hunt for Pokémon. While mobile service providers have been busy supporting their networks, consumers have had to worry about data limits and extra fees.
On average, Pokémon GO consumes around 25MB of data per hour when played actively. Consumers with low data limit plans this has been a cause for concern, and in some cases an expensive addiction.
Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura is just one of many people who have paid the price for playing Pokémon GO. This world champion who is currently preparing to compete in the Olympic Games Rio 2016 next week can't stop playing Pokémon GO, and as a result has racked up a bill of over $5,000. This is from roaming, rather than microtransactions, but has caused a reaction from Uchimura who said he "couldn't believe his eyes". Fellow Japanese athletes have reported that he has been upset since finding out about the charges.
This might be an extreme case, but it does highlight just how costly mobile gaming can be if you aren't careful. Catching Pokémon in another country might sound like a dream, but it's an expensive one.
