Pokémon GO should be fun, but also respect the environment and public places.
A few weeks ago, the Pokémon fever broke out again in Germany. This time, however, the environment is included, as players find more wild Pokémon in the “real world” than on the couch.
Not only wild Pokémon can be found “outside”. There are also PokéStops, where you can get rewards such as Poké Balls and potions, or gyms that you can conquer with your Pokémon, located in public places.
More respect for public places
In an interview with the LA Times, J.C. Smith, Consumer Marketing Director of the Pokémon Company, stated that the game should continue to be fun for aspiring Pokémon trainers, but respect the “real world” nonetheless. “When something is very popular, we have to ensure that we find a way to handle it so that players can enjoy the game safely and with respect,” says Smith. The game was just released recently and has already received so much attention that it is hard to think of all the areas in the world that could be affected in the future.
We have already reported that, for example, the Auschwitz memorial asked the developers of Pokémon GO not to be part of the game anymore. More and more public places are already making use of the function to have themselves removed from the game. On social media, you hear from players who are (rightly) outraged when several teenagers gather in cemeteries, use lure modules there, and have fun loudly in front of the graves. To top it all off, garbage and empty bottles are often left behind at the site.
In future updates, public and private places are to be respected and better protected. However, how exactly these changes will look and whether places will be completely removed or the activation range of these stops and gyms will be increased is still unclear.
