Holocaust Museum asks visitors to cool it with the Pokemon Go
Calling the game inappropriate for a memorial to the victims of Nazism, Washington's Holocaust Museum asks visitors to stop playing Pokemon Go.
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The Holocaust Museum in Washington is a deeply affecting memorial to the victims of Nazism during World War II, and home to a number of historical exhibits from the period. This week, however, it also became the home to a trio of PokeStops, where players of the immensely popular augmented-reality game Pokemon Go can collect items.
Pokemon Go inserts virtual, catchable monsters into the real world using your smartphone.
After the resulting flood of gamers, the museum is reportedly putting its foot down.
"Playing the game is not appropriate in the museum, which is a memorial to the victims of Nazism," Andrew Hollinger, the museum's communications director, told The Washington Post.
The Post's report on Tuesday also cited concerns about the appearance of a Pokemon named Koffing, which attacks using poison gas, at the museum. A now-deleted image circulating online showed Koffing outside the Helena Rubinstein Auditorium, which features testimonials from Jews who survived gas chambers during the Holocaust.
Museum officials said they're trying to get the museum excluded from the game altogether -- which, fortunately, should be possible. Here's hoping it happens soon.
The developer of Pokemon Go, Niantic Labs, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.