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Man playing Pokémon Go in July 2016 (Photo illustration). REUTERS / Toru Hanai

It was a little over three years ago. The release of the Pokémon Go game in 2016 took the Canadian army by surprise, which was faced with the sudden appearance on a military base of strangers trying to catch as many creatures of the mobile game using augmented reality.

In the space of a few weeks, millions of followers around the world went hunting for Pikachu and other imaginary creatures in real life thanks to Pokémon Go, sometimes venturing into strictly prohibited places.

More than three years later , documents obtained by the CBC under the Access to Information Act show how the Canadian army was surprised by the increase in the number of suspects intercepted in a short time on military bases across Canada after the release of the popular app.

" Hire a 12 year old to help us "

Major Jeff Monaghan of the Kingston base in Ontario writes in an email: " Please advise the commissioners that Fort Frontenac has apparently become a PokéGym and a PokéStop " for catching Pokémon. " To be completely honest with you, I have no idea what this is about, " he adds according to the CBC, which has got hold of nearly 500 pages of documents.

► Also listen: The madness of the Pokemon Go game

At least three military police officers, at different bases across the country, have even been given a singular mission: to explore these installations, phones and notebooks in hand, in search of virtual Pokémon infrastructures. " We should almost hire a 12-year-old to help us ," wrote a security expert from the Borden base north of Toronto. At the entrance to the same base, a woman was caught playing Pokémon Go with her three children, who had climbed on tanks.

Shortly after the release of the application, the armed forces even had to publicly warn fans of the game not to venture to military bases in search of Pokémon. Elsewhere in the world, we have also observed this same kind of phenomenon. In Indonesia, at the height of the craze, a Frenchman had also intruded on a military base, arguing that it was to try to catch small virtual beasts. In different countries, the game has also caused a jumble of scrambles, road accidents , and falls from cliffs.

Since then, the game has gone somewhat out of fashion, remaining rather anchored in communities of players.

My Machoc is too cute 😍😭 #PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/l2t96lAV1z

마린 🦄🌈🇰🇷 mamoumou 💛 (@marine_afonso) January 2, 2020

Last year, the website of the newspaper 20 Minutes in France even wondered: "Why did 'Pokémon Go' suddenly become a game of old people? " , Noting that young people were less interested in Pokémon Go, still popular with 30-45 year olds.