REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PALEMBANG -- The Pokemon Go frenzy could lead to accidents or waves of crimes, but the mobile based game has also created opportunities for a local baker in Palembang, South Sumatra, whose homemade Pokemon-themed cupcakes are selling like, well, hot cakes.
Rara Rista, a local baker in Palembang, has been busy translating the cuddly yellow Pikachu and the other cute monster characters from the game into creative cupcakes and tarts to meet customers' orders.
"I turned this ongoing frenzy into a business opportunity by making various cakes inspired by Pokemon Go characters," Rista said here on Monday.
In her bakery shop on Seruni Street, Palembang, Rista handcrafts and paints the cakes in detail to turn the Pokemon characters into delicious sweet baked creations.
"I've been a fan of Pokemon for a few years and it's booming now. I love this unique cake. It tastes delicious, yet is a bargain," Agha Selesna Dewi, a local Pokemon Go player, gushed.
Rista's patience pays. In a day, she could make at least five packages of Pokemon Go-themed cakes that cost between Rp20,000 up to Rp350,000.
Indonesians have been joining the Pokemon Go frenzy since its launch several weeks ago.
The Pokemon Go, developed for iOS and Android devices, continues to gain popularity and makes use of GPS and camera of compatible devices.
The game allows players to capture, battle, and train virtual creatures called Pokemons who appear on device screens as though in the real world.
However, during a couple of weeks of its worldwide hit, the game has already been blamed for a wave of crimes, traffic violations and complaints in cities around the globe.
Media reports said the game was used by four teens in Missouri to lure nearly a dozen victims into armed robberies.
Social media buzzed with reports of players who suffered minor injuries from tripping and falling while glued to their cell phones as they looked for Pokemons.
Meanwhile, the Government of Indonesia has banned all civil servants from playing Pokemon Go as the mobile based game was considered a threat to the national security.
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