Jennie Benford was leading a tour of the Homewood Cemetery in Point Breeze earlier this week when she noticed something unusual.
“There were gaggles of children, enjoying a nice, sunny day,” said Ms. Benford, director of programming for the Homewood Cemetery Historical Fund.
The larger number of kids, and the fact they appeared to be taking photos with smart phones was striking. Then it made sense: Pokémon Go.
“The folks who come here are almost always well-behaved. We just ask that for whatever reason you come here, you show respect. We are an active cemetery,” Ms. Benford said.
Not everyone has welcomed the growing number of gamers captivated virtually overnight by this pop culture phenomenon that launched last week. Some, such as the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., have deemed them disrespectful. In a recent statement to NPR, Andrew Hollinger, the museum’s communications director, said “Playing Pokémon Go in a memorial dedicated to the victims of Nazism is extremely inappropriate.”
Arlington National Cemetery issued a similar appeal: “We do not consider playing ‘Pokémon Go’ to be appropriate decorum on the grounds of ANC. We ask all visitors to refrain from such activity.”
At the same time, the game is proving a boon to businesses such as bars and restaurants, where crowds are gathering to play the game and socialize.
The free gaming app that uses augmented reality (inserting tech elements into actual geographic location that is accessed via a mobile device) allows players to “capture” the goofy Pokémon creatures so popular in the 1990s’ games and an animated TV series.
PokéStops allow “Trainers” to collect helpful items, and they are scattered everywhere.
Ronald Hestdalen, director of the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil, Washington County, said that although “we consider this a national shrine and hallowed ground, and any sort of sporting and recreational activity is not allowed,” there have been no reported problems.
Beginning today, developer Niantic’s online support site began accepting requests to remove locations such as the Holocaust Museum and Arlington National Cemetery from the game.
At the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium in Highland Park, real creatures are competing with the fantastic digital variety. Children come looking for both, said Tracy Gray, public relations manager.
“We only ask that visitors do no attempt to go behind the scenes, and are careful in their quest.”
Another of the region’s huge cemeteries — the 300-acre Allegheny, which fronts Butler Street and Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville — has been cited on Reddit as prime hunting ground for Pokéman Go.
“We want you to enjoy the park; it’s gorgeous,” said Nancy Foley, assistant to Allegheny president David Michener. “It’s huge, with lots of nooks and crannies. You can get lost, there are immense trees, monuments.
“Of course, we do have funerals six days a week. We will never be OK with anything interfering with funerals or the grieving process, at all. Even if it’s just a walk, we want people to stay out of sight and out of mind. Respect for the dead is paramount.”
Still, she noted with a laugh, she’s been told on good authority that Allegheny Cemetery has five Pokémon Gyms, where gamers meet to compete in head-to-head monster mashes.
There are still “droves” of families around when it’s time to lock the gates,” Ms. Foley said.
The Carnegie Museum of Art will host a Pokémon hunt for its July 21 adult “Third Thursday” event. “There are a lot of spaces tucked away in the four corners of the museum,” said Jonathan Gaugler, CMOA media relations manager.
“It was easy for us to add another tour with a goofy theme.”
He recently made a social media post of a little Pokemon creature next to a painting. With it was a plea to “help clear these damn Pokémon out of our galleries. They won’t stop chewing on the paintings.”
At PNC Park on the North Shore, the usual summer crowds milling about seem to have more purpose. Rico Lunardi, who owns Slice, a pizza restaurant attached to the ball park, recognizes a trend when he sees it.
One of his employees drew a Charmander Pokémon on the chalkboard sign outside the door. Mr. Lunardi said he doesn’t really understand the game, but he’s happy to feed the people playing it.
“As I look out our big window, I see people staring at phones and looking around. Apparently, this is a hot spot for landmarks.”
Some small businesses are literally luring players in. As part of the game, lure “modules” can be purchased, which are supposed to make the hunting more plentiful for half-hour increments of time.
Thursday, the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society is hosting a “lure party” at its Western Avenue location from noon until 12:30 p.m.
“Our hopes are to use some fun as a way to get people into our shelter, in hopes our animals will ‘catch’ their forever homes,” said Hala Nuemah, managing director.
A bar or restaurant can advertise this, drawing a crowd. Some places also have promoted discounts for those who capture a creature at their business and then post a photo of it on social media. In New York City, in fact, some enterprising owners have created a Pokémon bar crawl.
Maria Sciullo: msciullo@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1478 or @MariaSciulloPG.
First Published: July 14, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
