Pokemon GO Fans Told Not To Play In U.S. Holocaust Museum

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Attention Pokemon GO players, even though Nintendo includes memorial sites like this in its game, don't be a dick. It's pretty lame that the museum even has to ask to be removed from the game. I wonder how many other locations like this are going to pop up in the future.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has told Pokemon GO fans not to play the popular new mobile game in its premises, describing it as "extremely inappropriate" in a memorial dedicated to the victims of Nazism. "We are attempting to have the museum removed from the game," the museum's communications director, Andy Hollinger, said in a statement.
 
The problem is that Pokémon Go works off where it sees people congregate, so it doesn't really take in to account where they are congregating at. They do need an 'Opt-Out' page post haste.
 
well, on one hand these kids to get learn some history of what evils are in this world.
 
They just want the Pokemon for themselves. Isn't this a good thing for them? Come for the Pokemon, stay for the gas chamber exhibit?
 
I caught this pokemon there....
koffing.jpg
 
I'll never understand the whole Pokemon thing.
I've tried a few times to understand it, but it's just not clicking... maybe because I keep trying to play the very first game?

I do like Pikachu and Charmander... I mean art-wise it's kinda cute... but what is the point of collecting them? Is there any sort of character-driven story behind it or clever RPG element that I've just not experienced yet? IT doesn't need to be epic or anything, just feels like I'm missing some important element to it all...
 
The company that makes the game has a form on the website that people can fill out to request that their place be removed from the game. I'm guessing they foresaw this kind of fustercluck.
 
The company that makes the game has a form on the website that people can fill out to request that their place be removed from the game. I'm guessing they foresaw this kind of fustercluck.

Which is odd. You'd think they would create a form to 'opt in' to the program, instead of automatically allowing their property to be used ingame. I can understand public place locations (parks) being automatically added to the game; but private properties? I dunno. I know if some App was created that basically made my house a public gathering place and increased foot traffic - I'd be a bit pissed.
 
There was a Pokemon that appeared at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier too. Incredibly disrespectful if anybody pulls out their phone to do that shit at that memorial.
 
Which is odd. You'd think they would create a form to 'opt in' to the program, instead of automatically allowing their property to be used ingame. I can understand public place locations (parks) being automatically added to the game; but private properties? I dunno. I know if some App was created that basically made my house a public gathering place and increased foot traffic - I'd be a bit pissed.

Niantic (the company that made the game) basically did a full scale import of the points they used in their previous game, Ingress. That's why some points are wildly inappropriate (or so you would think) for a Pokemon game. Most of the sites are art installations or in public areas where lots of people gather anyway but there is more than one strip club that is a pokestop as are a couple of bars. Most of the sites are in public areas but with 5 million+ sites worldwide I'm thinking very few of them were vetted to any great degree because some of them are on military installations and other restricted areas.
 
I bet the people that do that stuff also talk during movies at the theater. Or dance at memorial funerals... :D

Some places need removed. Only because human decency loses out over a few Pokeballs and a potion.
 
I can see it now, "Pokemon Go player scales White House fence to catch rare Pokemon, gets shot by security". Good lord people.
 
I can see it now, "Pokemon Go player scales White House fence to catch rare Pokemon, gets shot by security". Good lord people.
Instead of the annual Easter Egg hunt they should replace it with the annual Pokémon hunt.
 
Here's what I see. Places of business instituting "Pokemon Go" minimum purchase levels to enter their locations. "Welcome to the bar, are you drinking tonight? No.. ok 10 dollar cover. You can have your cover refunded by buying two alcoholic beverages or purchasing a meal with us. Have a nice day."

I would TOTALLY do that if I learned my bar had a Rare pokemon in it.
 
Wait, I'm baffled. Why is there a holocaust museum in the US? Was there a holocaust there too, that I somehow missed?
 
Wait, I'm baffled. Why is there a holocaust museum in the US? Was there a holocaust there too, that I somehow missed?

You kind of just explained the reason by asking that fairly dumb question.

Not even slightly amusing.
 
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The problem is that Pokémon Go works off where it sees people congregate, so it doesn't really take in to account where they are congregating at. They do need an 'Opt-Out' page post haste.

Actually, most of the areas were pulled over from Niantic's other game "Ingress". Most of the bases and such in Ingress are Gyms in Pokemon Go. No one complained before....


Also, it isn't just the US Holocaust Museum.. The 9/11 memorial in NYC is another site where people are flocking for Pokemon Go.

And then you have me..... Holding down the gym at Duck Commander... Yes, the Duck Dynasty place. ;)
 
While pokestops and gyms are based on portal locations from Ingress, wild pokemon appearances aren't based on them. Wild Pokemon in the game spawn in correlation to areas in Ingress with large amounts of free floating Exotic Matter (referred to in-game as XM), which is based on location pings to google's location services from cell phones. That means any place where lots of people naturally gather to is going to attract wild pokemon, regardless of whether or not the museum gets the pokestop or gym taken off the list.
 
I've tried a few times to understand it, but it's just not clicking... maybe because I keep trying to play the very first game?

I do like Pikachu and Charmander... I mean art-wise it's kinda cute... but what is the point of collecting them? Is there any sort of character-driven story behind it or clever RPG element that I've just not experienced yet? IT doesn't need to be epic or anything, just feels like I'm missing some important element to it all...

Um...."Gotta catch em all...POKEMON!" Duh. :D
 
I've tried a few times to understand it, but it's just not clicking... maybe because I keep trying to play the very first game?

I do like Pikachu and Charmander... I mean art-wise it's kinda cute... but what is the point of collecting them? Is there any sort of character-driven story behind it or clever RPG element that I've just not experienced yet? IT doesn't need to be epic or anything, just feels like I'm missing some important element to it all...


If you are playing some of the old games on an emulator, you are missing a large part of the fun. The emulators don't allow you to connect to others playing the game.
Finding and training a Pokémon team to battle with others is the best part.
Used to take it easy on my kid (most the time), until she started winning too often :D
Really taught her a lot about planning (what attacks work best) and other gaming strategies.
 
I've tried a few times to understand it, but it's just not clicking... maybe because I keep trying to play the very first game?

I do like Pikachu and Charmander... I mean art-wise it's kinda cute... but what is the point of collecting them? Is there any sort of character-driven story behind it or clever RPG element that I've just not experienced yet? IT doesn't need to be epic or anything, just feels like I'm missing some important element to it all...

I feel that the main draw of the pokemon series would be the aspect of exploration and discovery that it offers to players. It encourages players to search out all the corners of the world it provides, looking for secrets and goodies, be it one of a kind or rare pokemon, or special items. Even the earliest games in the franchise provided some sense of uniqueness even to members of the same species, where stat variations could allow one to hit harder, be faster, or take damage better than the rest of it's bretheren. It also allowed players to individually name each creature they captured, allowing them to build a specialized team to suit their playstyle, and build their own narrative around them as they progress throughout the game, defeating gym leaders and making their way to the top. It also heavily encourages a social aspect in the game by having you interact with another player to get pokemon in no other way possible, and to test their team of hand picked and trained warriors up against their friends. All of this has been around since generation 1, and has only gotten deeper and more involved with additional mechanics and the ability to move those you grew attached to up to the newer generations of games.
 
Here's what I see. Places of business instituting "Pokemon Go" minimum purchase levels to enter their locations. "Welcome to the bar, are you drinking tonight? No.. ok 10 dollar cover. You can have your cover refunded by buying two alcoholic beverages or purchasing a meal with us. Have a nice day."

I would TOTALLY do that if I learned my bar had a Rare pokemon in it.

It's already being done. It is actually is part of the business model for Pokemon Go in that businesses will pay to advertise themselves via Pokemon Go.

People are starting to make their restaurant choices based on Pokemon Go
 
Niantic (the company that made the game) basically did a full scale import of the points they used in their previous game, Ingress.
I'm sure there were pitched Ingress "events" at the museum, but I guess nobody noticed? Ingress invites packs of players to roam together to take and beef up portals, so I'm sorta surprised something didn't happen sooner. I have personally seen packs of Ingress players and they can be a frightning overly-fedora'd bunch. (and I play Ingress)

The ideal thing would be to make the point inactive, so it doesn't function as a Pokestop or a portal, but it's just a structure that encourages people to go there for no other reason than to check out the place.
 
I'm sure there were pitched Ingress "events" at the museum, but I guess nobody noticed? Ingress invites packs of players to roam together to take and beef up portals, so I'm sorta surprised something didn't happen sooner. I have personally seen packs of Ingress players and they can be a frightning overly-fedora'd bunch. (and I play Ingress)

The ideal thing would be to make the point inactive, so it doesn't function as a Pokestop or a portal, but it's just a structure that encourages people to go there for no other reason than to check out the place.

Most likely due to the vastly different levels of popularity not just in player base but as a news item. Pokemon Go is dominating the news cycle currently so anything related to it is going to be reported.
 
You don't have to be right on the spot - just near it. I got a clefairy in a traffic jam...
 
That would be great.

Several ADULTS shot trespassing on top secret government facility while playing a game designed for children.
Screw digital monsters I want my actual alien-floaty-clone thing I _KNOW_ the reptilians and guberment are hiding in the lower basement levels!
 
Just wait until this sends some little kid to a meth house or child sex abuser's back yard. "Sam Bernstein Law Offices, I choose you!"
 
The problem is that Pokémon Go works off where it sees people congregate, so it doesn't really take in to account where they are congregating at. They do need an 'Opt-Out' page post haste.
But people could just be decent from themselves. I mean if it has no option then it means you could also play it at the war museum in Japan or hiroshima memorial in Japan, but I didn't hear reports that that is happening.
 
But people could just be decent from themselves. I mean if it has no option then it means you could also play it at the war museum in Japan or hiroshima memorial in Japan, but I didn't hear reports that that is happening.

The game isn't available in Japan yet, but yes you are right people should know better. Sadly they probably just don't care.
 
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