One 'Pokemon Go' site removed from Arlington Heights park, but others remain
The creators of the Pokemon Go app have removed one of its game elements from Memorial Park in Arlington Heights in response to neighbors' complaints but are keeping others in place, officials said.
Niantic, publisher of the augmented reality game, removed a "gym" from the village's oldest park - bounded by Fremont Street, Chestnut Avenue and Park Place - which happens to be one of the real-world locations where users of the gaming app visit to collect virtual characters that pop up on their phone screens.
In "Pokemon Go," a gym is the highest level of game play and can result in the most visitors to a particular location - as many as 10 people at a time for as long as half an hour. That's likely what led neighbors recently to complain about people driving around the park in their cars, while apparently using the app, park district officials said.
Brian Meyer, the district's director of recreation and facilities, said the district has received feedback on both sides - from neighbors concerned with increased traffic in their otherwise quiet neighborhood and from gamers who like the virtual sites in real-world parks. Park district staff members reached out to the game's creators to see if any sites could be removed.
For now, "PokeStops" - which is the lowest level of play and attracts fewer visitors - will remain in the park.
"The park district has looked at this issue from all sides. This includes Niantic, gamers and the neighbors surrounding Memorial Park," Meyer said. "We will continue to monitor over the next several weeks and continue working with all parties."