Not only is Pokémon GO good for gamers' health with all that walking, but it can also be good for businesses that use their establishments as either PokéStops or Poké Gyms. This is because there is a good chance hordes of players will come on by and might even make a purchase while on their quest.
Pokémon GO mixes reality with its virtual land to transform these real-world locations into the places where gamers can get more PokéBalls, find eggs or train and battle other teams.
At first, the mobile game's developer Niantic Labs predetermined which locations would serve as PokéStops and Poké Gyms. This meant that some questionably insensitive places have been hot-spots for the popular augmented reality game, such as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan.
Niantic then allowed business owners and the like to request to have their location become one of these in-app locations. However, according to its website, it is no longer accepting submissions.
Now, the Pokémon Company is also making strides to be more "respectful" of real-world locations that do not want Pokémon trainers on their private property by working on a way to allow locations to opt out of being included as a PokéStop in the game.
"When something is really popular, we have to figure out the most respectful way to deal with it and make sure that everyone is playing safely and doing things in a respectful manner," the Pokémon Company's consumer marketing director J.C. Smith said in an interview.
Of course, the Pokémon Company and Niantic probably did not anticipate people bum-rushing certain locations and swiping away at their phones as they capture the monsters they see appear on their screens as they walk around. Also, it's not just museums and cemeteries that want to be excluded from the madness out of respect; it might be illegal to explore certain areas like locations that are federal property, and even police warned players to stop wandering into its stations in Australia when the game was first released.
No matter how popular Pokémon GO is right now doesn't mean that the game is free from flaws. There is yet to be another mixed reality mobile game this huge, so it only makes sense that Niantic and the Pokémon Company have to work out some kinks and real-world problems.
After addressing the server issues, it can now focus on the respect factor.
"Now, we're looking at features in the game and how to fine-tune them so that it's appealing to the fans but also respectful of the private institutions that are affected by it," Smith said.
Location owners can now request a removal of a PokéStop of Gym by filling out a form that is available here.
Source: LA Times
Photo: Rob Westwood-Payne | Flickr
