In less than a week, the mobile game Pokémon Go has become a worldwide smash hit. Nerds from Uruguay to Ukraine are wandering around their neighborhoods, tripping into ditches and busting their faces in pursuit of imaginary monsters.
One feature of the game that has received some not-so-positive press is the use of real-life locations as Pokémon gyms and Pokéspots. These geotagged hotspots require players to travel to them in order to meet goals in the game, and they can be found at such points of interest as works of public art, historic buildings, and more. But with an entire planet to cover, some of these sites are not exactly appropriate for a game aimed at children (and stunted adults). Here are some of the most poorly-chosen locations gamers have found so far in Pokémon Go.
1. A strip club.
Kids wander in to find Pokémon, and by the time they leave, they're done with video games forever.
2. A graveyard.
Was it full of ghost Pokémon?
3. This guy's house.
Boon Sheridan lives in a historic renovated 19th century church with his wife. Unfortunately, the uniqueness of his home led to it being designated as a Pokémon gym without his permission. He quickly found it becoming the epicenter of a nerd infestation.
Although he did eventually make peace with their leader.
4. The 9/11 Memorial.
Never forget... to catch 'em all.
5. The Church of Scientology.
Don't go in there, kids! Not even for a MewTwo. That's how they get ya.
6. The D.C. Holocaust Museum.
So many Pokéfans descended on the Washington D.C. museum's three Pokéstops that the museum itself was forced to urge them to please stop playing.
7. Auschwitz. Yes, that Auschwitz.
The Holocaust Museum doesn't seem so bad now, does it? (It's still pretty bad.)
8. The Pentagon.
If you want to take over this gym, you'd better have top-secret clearance. Your Pokémon won't be much defense against tank embankments and armed guards.
9. The Westboro Baptist Church.
This church, most famous for its charming "God Hates Fags" protests at military funerals and other events, is the site of a Pokémon gym. Mere days after the game's launch, pro-LGBT activists had already taken it over with a Clefairy named LoveIsLove.
Unfortunately, the Westboro people quickly recruited their own Pokémon, an extremely heterosexual Jigglypuff, to reclaim it.
10. The Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.
This gym is still unclaimed. Let's hope it stays that way, because it's probably full of land mines.