Pokemon Go, despite its astronomical success since launching last week, isn’t winning everyone over, it seems. Various historic locations in Washington are warning players not to play the augmented reality game if they decide to visit.
The BBC reports that officials for both the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and Arlington National Cemetery are taking steps to discourage people from playing within the walls of either establishment, with the former labelling such a move as “extremely inappropriate.”
Unfortunately for both landmarks, it appears as if each is marked as a Pokestop in-game, meaning that when players visit them, they gain access to various benefits such as medicine and candy to boost the stats of owned Pokemon. Both institutions, it’s reported, are attempting to get the markers removed from the game.
While they are yet to experience any issues, officials for Arlington Cemetery are proactively taking steps to stop aspiring Pokemon Masters, stating that, “playing games such as Pokemon Go on these hallowed grounds would not be deemed appropriate.”
Short of enforcing a strict no phone policy when entering either landmark, there doesn’t appear to by any way to tell if someone is playing Pokemon Go without said player explicitly stating as such. Developer Niantic has yet to comment on whether it’s possible to remove the Pokestop system from specific real world locations, or whether it would if asked.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated as and when the story develops, but in the meantime, let us know in the comments below on which side of the fence you sit.