This Week in Pokémon Go News

[inkstone]

Happy Friday, trainers!

• The main highlight from the past week was the launch of Pokémon Go in 15 countries across Asia and Oceana! Please allow your mod a moment of selfishness and let me especially welcome my kaibigan from the Philippines. Mabuhay! (full list of countries)

• Niantic has begun removing PokeStops and gyms from some locations--specifically the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan and the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. Which, to be fair, probably should never have had any of those virtual landmarks added in the first place. (source)

• Japanese prefectures hard hit by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami have formed a collaboration with Niantic to use Pokémon Go to promote tourism by adding PokeStops and gyms to sitesighting spots. (source)

• A Fresno City College is offering physical education class specializing in PokeGo. (source)

Any bits of news from your neck of the woods?

Comments

[kittydesade]

I have committed stats nerdery upon the community?

[senmut]

Sadly our local FB group has had to crack down on call-out posts against cheaters. Glad I don't do gyms, because apparently there's been a rash of accusations of cheating surrounding them.

There's supposed to be a PokeWalk organizing next month; haven't seen much about it lately.

And there is this wonderful, silly rush that comes from reading posts on the group that are basically "I am here; come help me take this gym" or "Hey, 'X' keeps spawning here, come catch them!" and people answering that they are on their way. People who were strangers two months ago!

[recessional]

I finally got my gd Persian. XD Now I can only complain about not having enough Vulpixes in the area for a Nine-tail, and the UTTER AND UPSETTING LACK OF CHARMANDER-TYPES to let me level up my baby. *SAD*

[moxieweed]

This was a pretty cute news article: http://www.king5.com/mb/news/local/pokemon-go-saves-struggling-business/291816887

Pokemon Go saved a small town's ice cream shop run by ill veteran that was on the verge of closing. The video is especially good; he's so happy!