US State Department Interrupts Briefing Over Reporter Playing Pokemon Go

US State Department spokesman John Kirby was forced to interrupt a briefing due to a journalist playing the popular Pokemon Go game, media reported Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Kirby noticed a reporter distracted from the briefing and said "You're playing the Pokemon thing right there, aren't you," according to CNN. 

The reporter, who had not been identified, responded that he was just "keeping an eye" on the game. After that, Kirby resumed his speech about the efforts of the US-led coalition to fight Daesh in Syria and Iraq.

As the briefing went on, Kirby asked the reporter if he had caught a Pokemon, to which the reporter responded that he did not, because "the signal's not very good." Kirby said he was "sorry" about that before continuing the briefing.

Pokemon Go is a free augmented reality mobile game where the picture displayed on the smartphone screen is projected onto real-world locations. The main aim of the game is to catch a Pokemon, a pocket monster. It has become a worldwide hit since its launch two weeks ago and has already been blamed for a wave of crimes, traffic violations and complaints in cities around the globe.

The game, first released in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, is now available in more than 30 countries.