The recent release of Pokemon Go has brought an increase of people
out walking, heads down, iphones on, in search of Pokemon. The newest craze has fans of all ages out and
about trying to “catch them all!” Here’s
the thing. There are some places you should
stay clear of: dark alleys, private property and, need we say it … Cemeteries!
Today my husband was photographing for BillionGraves at a
cemetery in Colorado. Now, during our years volunteering with BillionGraves, we
have been asked a lot of things, but never “Are
you here to catch Pokemon?” Excuse
me? Yes!
Believe it or not, there has been an influx of people wandering
cemeteries looking for those little creatures.
Let this be a PSA, if you will. Stay clear of the cemeteries. This is hallowed ground to many people and
the visitors there are paying their respects to loved ones they have lost. There is a time and place for everything, and
playing Pokemon at the local cemetery just isn’t right.
My son, who is a fan of Pokemon, informed me that Pokemon Go
randomly generates locations of the Pokemon.
Keep in mind these locations change day by day, so any creatures you
missed out on at the cemetery will be available elsewhere on another day. Be patient.
If you must play, seek out a local park or other public venue. Avoid private property and dark secluded places. And, if anything, out of sheer respect,
don’t play in the cemetery.
The cemetery security was pleased to learn that my husband
was not out capturing Pokemon, but instead capturing images of headstones. BillionGraves is a volunteer worldwide
initiative with the purpose of preserving the information found on gravestones. Each photograph is tagged with a GPS
coordinate so that family looking to find an ancestor’s resting place will be
lead to the exact location of the headstone.
To learn more about
BillionGraves, visit BillionGraves.com.
To learn more about Pokemon Go, visit Pokemon.com.
