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Holocaust Museum not happy with Pokemon craze, and other places ill-suited to ‘catch ‘em all’ Graveyards, 9/11 memorial & Holocaust museum: Pokémon Go wars waged at ill-suited places
(about 9 hours later)
Less than a week into the launch of Pokemon Go, millions of players are staking out real-world sites to throw “pokeballs” at augmented reality creatures. The attention has proven unwanted in some places, however, like military areas and the Holocaust Museum. Pokémon Go has been available for less than a week but has already sent millions of players into a frenzy and into a range of unsuitable locations in pursuit of virtual creatures.
The Pokemon Go gaming app allows players to find Pokemon in their physical surroundings using a smartphone’s camera. The creatures pop up in random places, including streets, homes, backyards, and even churches.  Players are staking out real-world sites, and have ventured into public toilets, churches, military areas and even graveyards to throw ‘pokéballs’ at the augmented reality creatures.
The game has also introduced PokeStops, which are marked real world locations where players have to go to receive items for the game. The game includes PokéStops, which are marked real world locations where players have to go to receive items for the game.
While some profit-minded businesses may have found the lure desirable, this was certainly not the case with the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, which was “lucky” enough to become the location of three different PokeStops.Andrew Hollinger, the museum’s communications director, told the Washington Post, “Playing the game is not appropriate in the museum, which is a memorial to the victims of Nazism.”Responding to suggestions that the museum simply ban the use of smartphones on its premises, Hollinger explained that the museum tries to remain generally pro-technology and would like its visitors to share their experiences on social media. “We are trying to find out if we can get the museum excluded from the game,” Hollinger said. However, Niantic, the mobile game company responsible for Pokemon Go, has yet to respond to requests to remove Pokemon from the building. READ MORE:A dead body, armed robbers, & traffic chaos: The dark side to Pokémon Go 
An inflammatory image taken in the Holocaust Museum brought particular scorn down upon the game as well. An image of a Pokemon character named “Koffing,” a round creature that shoots poison gas, has been making the rounds of the internet. While there is nothing inherently wrong with Koffing, many people were upset to see one hanging in front of a sign for the Helena Rubinstein Auditorium, an exhibit that features testimonials from Holocaust survivors about the Nazi gas chambers.It is unclear whether the picture was doctored, and the types of Pokemon found in one specific location can vary. The picture has since been removed from Imgur, a photo-sharing website. It appears the Pokémon-obsessed gamers have missed the memo that there’s a time and a place for everything - and have no limits on how far they’ll go to catch a Pokémon.
While officially available only in a handful of countries, the US included, the game has already started taking the world by storm. Much like texting, checking social media, and crushing virtual candies on one’s smartphone, Pokemon Go seems to have already become a popular way to pass time between activities. The Washington Post’s Andrea Peterson spoke with a group of people who were playing in the Holocaust Museum’s lobby while they were waiting for a tour. One player used a lure mode which attracts Pokemon to the PokeStop on the museum’s marker, which encourages more players in the area to participate. “It’s not like we came here to play,” the 37-year-old female player told Peterson, but added that she still had to “catch ‘em all.”This is not the first time Pokemon have been spotted in seemingly inappropriate and even dangerous locations across the globe. Here are some of the most inappropriate places used in the game where the virtual and real world overlap a little too often.
1) The Holocaust Museum
The Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC is  the location of three PokéStops.
Andrew Hollinger, the museum’s communications director, told the Washington Post, “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,” Hollinger said. However, Niantic, the mobile game company responsible for Pokémon Go, has yet to respond to requests to remove Pokémon from the building.
An inflammatory image of one of the Pokéman characters taken in the Holocaust Museum has been met with particular scorn. It shows ‘‘Koffing’, a round creature which shoots poison gas, in front of a sign for the Helena Rubinstein Auditorium - an exhibit that features testimonials from Holocaust survivors about the Nazi gas chambers.
It’s unclear whether the picture was doctored, and the types of Pokémon found in one specific location can vary. The picture has since been removed from Imgur, a photo-sharing website.
2) 9/11 War Memorial
There are at least four PokéStops at this landmark including the twin memorial pools which feature the names of every person who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks.
One player, who had lost friends and relatives in the terror attacks told Time he played the game at the site but later regretted it.
“I picked my head up and kind of realized it’s not that great of an idea, it’s a hallowed place. Some memorials should be left alone.”
3) The White House
The White House has been marked as a ‘Gym’ in the game and is one of the most sought after in the US. A ‘Gym’ is where a player can launch a battle to take control of a venue.
Players have been flocking to the President’s house in a bid to take it over, virtually of course.
4) Military Bases
US army base Fort Carson were forced to issue a warning to people playing the game on its grounds, urging them to exercise caution.
The phenomenon has even spread to overseas military bases with the characters spotted at military facilities in Japan and Germany, according to Stars and Stripes.
One user was reportedly sent to a ‘Gym@ at the Pentagon, while another was encouraged to go to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) for his treasure, a location that divides the Korean peninsula in half, separating North and South with a buffer zone.
5) Graveyards
Social media posts have revealed that numerous people have ended up scavenging around graveyards in search of Pokemons.Social media posts have revealed that numerous people have ended up scavenging around graveyards in search of Pokemons.
The US military cemetery, Arlington National cemetery was also reportedly used as a game site.
Other players have been directed to adult gentlemen clubs and many have been spotted mingling in hospitals and bathrooms. Other players have been directed to adult gentlemen clubs, hospitals, temples, bathrooms and even real life gyms in their Pokémon quest.
One user was reportedly sent to a “gym” at the Pentagon, while another was encouraged to go to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) for his treasure, a location that divides the Korean peninsula in half, separating North Korea and South Korea with a buffer zone.
There have been some weird real-world finds too. One 19-year-old girl stumbled upon a dead body floating in the Big Wind River while on a Pokemon quest, while another player claims to have found a dead bird in his tub while being led to a virtual sparrow. READ MORE: Teen finds dead body while looking for Pokemon with phone game
Meanwhile, vines and tweets that make fun of the game have been rapidly going viral on social media, some of which show police officers trying to “catch them all,” while others poke fun at players walking on cars and building rooftops while on the hunt.Meanwhile, vines and tweets that make fun of the game have been rapidly going viral on social media, some of which show police officers trying to “catch them all,” while others poke fun at players walking on cars and building rooftops while on the hunt.
Others wondered at how easily some people could switch from serious commitments in real life, such as being involved in the Black Lives Matter movement, to an obsessive drive to “catch them all,” which has led many to play Pokemon non-stop.“How did y’all go from #BlackLivesMatter in half a week to, Chasing #Pokemon ????? That’s why we won’t win. Y’all motivate by what’s poppin,” tweeted Toneski4AM.
In the meantime, businesses have been trying to make a profit off this global fever, attracting customers with free water, cell phone charging stations, and various Pokemon memorabilia for nearby players. One particularly opportunistically-minded driver has reportedly started a $10-per-hour service for Pokemon Go fans who want to find their way around his town quickly to catch as many creatures as possible. Some businesses, however, have been trying to make a profit off this global fever, attracting customers with free water, cell phone charging stations, and various Pokemon memorabilia for nearby players.
One particularly opportunistically-minded driver has reportedly started a $10-per-hour service for Pokemon Go fans who want to find their way around his town quickly to catch as many creatures as possible.