.

It depends on when they show up and how they're acting. If they show up during regular hours, pay admission, and enjoy their visit, wonderful.

If they show up when you're closed, climb fences, trespass, and wander in places they shouldn't be wandering, not so good.

When a 10 year old darts out in front of Old 97 because he was chasing a whatever it is they chase, and runs across the track, you won't be so enthused about the game.

As with just about anything, there are good and bad points.

Another poster is correct. Many Museums, Libraries and Zoos have been actively promoting that they have Gyms, Stops, whatever. However... Zoos and Museums already have pretty good security systems in place. They can lock things up and not worry. Even if somebody does show up outside the building during off hours, the risk of damage, theft or injury would be minimal. The Seattle Zoo for example has been very actively promoting it, showing pictures of the little whatsits in the Zoo. It also isn't someplace a kid is likely to wander into after hours, and off limit areas are already well secured (Or so we would hope.)

The B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, from their Facebook post:

For laughs.

Photoshop, NOT real. Yet.

I've always thought video games were for children.

Maybe I'm right.

they say the same thing about model trains, and we know the age range of the enthusiasts...

Rich C.

This thread is so telling.

On one hand, people complain about filling seats and volunteer log books.

And then, on the other, they mock and complain about an excellent opportunity for outreach, education, and getting bodies in the door.

The irony.

Maybe the reason "youngsters" aren't joining your group, or attending your events, is because you approach them with the same attitudes displayed throughout this thread.

On the other hand, some smart folks get it. Their mindset and successes aren't coincidences.

If you want to see why it seems like railroad preservation may be doomed, you need no more evidence than this thread.

The link I highlighted for tracking Pokemon has been dead. I know you guys have been disappointed about it here is a story about the shut down.

www.pcmag.com/news/346620/pokemon-go-tr ... shuts-down

My guess that Niantic wants to keep more control of there $10 Million a day money machine.

California State RR Museum:

https://www.facebook.com/californiastat ... 3353782323

Buzz,

Most likely it was overloading the servers, the tracking sites checked the server every 5 seconds, multiply that by thousands of users within a server area, and the server starts to loose the magic smoke that keeps it running.

Niantic was just trying to keep their servers running, these tracking apps were not developed or approved by Niantic in the first place.

Rich C.

True, and it's not just kids. I know quite a few adults who play for themselves or for their kids (especially when traveling). As one middle aged executive told me yesterday, "it's fun."

It's great to see railroad museums, capitalize upon it.

Here's what it comes down from a marketing point of view: Pokemon is relevant right now. In a world where many railroad museums struggle for relevance, embracing modern trends is not a bad idea, especially ones like this that may bring a few people in the gate who otherwise wouldn't be there.

The bigger question is, what will their experience be at the museum? Will they be welcomed or will they be met with disdain or mocked? Pokemon may lead them there, but what happens next is entirely up to the museum. Will the opportunity be embraced or squandered?

Rob

The web sites gave non-players a window into the game world. But there's also a good chance that for players, it amounted to cheating.

Players who used the site were getting an edge on players who did not.

The line between "fair" augmentation and cheating is very difficult to define. Some games provide an authorized "port" for user augmentations. But even there, they wrestle with how much power to confer to "add-ons" which use that port - particularly when that affects player vs. player combat (as opposed to players united in shared goals). New players quit in disgust if they get steamrolled by experienced players with add-ons.

Pokemon Go tries to avoid PvP. If you are racing another player to catch a Pokemon, you both catch him. He "hangs out" for 5 more minutes to benefit others who've detected him. This works best if you can't detect Pokemons until you're close. These sites break that, obviously.

The best way to monitor the game is install and engage the game.
1. Create a throwaway Google account by signing up at mail.google.com
2. Install Pokemon Go, and log into Pokemon Go with your google account. (which is one of several ways to do so). Be careful if you're on an Android device, it will default to using the primary google account on the Android.
3. When done, stop using the Google account and fuggedaboutit.

New players also quit in disgust if other players cheat. Pokémon was essentially Beta Tested by "Ingress", a capture-the-flag style augmented reality game. There were two teams, green and blue, and you try to capture territories. The mechanics don't really matter here but what does is that players created multiple accounts, spoofed the GPS and did other tricks to make it pretty much worthless to try and beat them. There were always a few players who had most of the locations controlled.

Because of that, people lost interest quickly. Pokémon seems to have done a nice job of being competitive while also being fun for all, if I understand what you're saying regarding how it works. That may provide some additional longevity.

As it is, I suspect the popularity will wane. People get bored, the novelty wears off, and in many cases, you get sticker shock when you discover just how much data a GPS enabled app really sucks up. Data charges are HOW MUCH?

So, while I'd certainly agree that the game can be used to your advantage, I'd suggest being somewhat cautious about how deeply you're invested in it until we see how many long term dedicated users there are.

The Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario in Smiths Falls, Ontario has two Pokémon stops and a gym:

https://www.facebook.com/RMEOsmithsfalls/posts/1128891110517446

It will be interesting to see if it increases paid attendance, or just after-hours trespassing.

Steve Hunter