Interest

Businesses Welcome Pokémon Go; Memorials Request Removal From Game

To find Pokémon in Niantic Labs and Nintendo's new "Pokémon Go" augmented reality smartphone game, players are flocking to all kinds of locations, from stores and parks that are elated by the increase in foot traffic... to other places that are not so thrilled.

Businesses such as this indie clothing store have found PokéStops or gyms at their locations, and have taken advantage of the "lure" feature that brings Pokémon—and therefore players—right to them. The Crystal Bridges art museum in Arkansas, for example, blogged about its available Pokémon, all posed with its various exhibits, as a means of promotion.

The PokéStop locations don't always make sense: Fairvilla's Sexy Things, a Florida "intimacy boutique" was baffled at the influx of players to their location, but attributed at least one $60 underwear sale to the game. The store's manager speculates that the PokéStop has something to do with a tiger mural on the wall outside.

Forbes reported receiving inquiries from business owners asking how they can get their businesses on the map, but developer Niantic Labs generated all the locations in advance, and there's no word yet on how they can be added.

Meanwhile, other locations have found their inclusion in Pokémon Go inappropriate: the Holocaust Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, and 9/11 Memorial, for example, are all PokéStops.

Andrew Hollinger, communications director of the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, spoke to The Washington Post about the issue:

Playing the game is not appropriate in the museum, which is a memorial to the victims of Nazism. We are trying to find out if we can get the museum excluded from the game.

The Arlington National Cemetery and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland also released statements disapproving of Pokémon Go play on their grounds. "We do not consider playing "Pokémon Go" to be appropriate decorum on the grounds of ANC," the official Arlington National Cemetery Twitter account wrote. "We ask all visitors to refrain from such activity."

Niantic Labs issued a statement with The Verge on the problem:

PokéStops and Gyms in Pokémon Go are found at publicly accessible places such as historical markers, public art installations, museums and monuments. If you want to report inappropriate locations or content, please submit a ticket on the Pokémon Go Support website... We will take relevant steps at that point based on the nature of the inquiry.

Wherever they go, players should exercise caution when following the lure feature: Police in Missouri reported arresting teenagers who were using the game to lure victims into armed robbery.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, The Huffington Post (David Moye), Forbes (Jason Evangelho), NPR (Rebecca Hersher), The Washington Post, The Verge (Jamieson Cox)