A French Mayor Wants To Ban Pokemon GO From His Village

Surprise, surprise? It seems someone has yet again asked Niantic to remove Pokemon GO from another [...]

pokemon go france

Surprise, surprise? It seems someone has yet again asked Niantic to remove Pokemon GO from another location. Except, this time, the request demands the app be removed from an entire village. According to Fabrice Beauvois, Bressolles' mayor, the game is not welcome in the small eastern village.

Citing Pokemon GO's health risks, Fabrice mailed a formal request to both Niantic and The Pokemon Company to have the app removed from his rural village. Fabrice even spoke with The Associated Press about his actions, stressing his decree was aimed only at the two companies. Gamers would not be punished for playing the game if caught, but Fabrice does lament how popular the app has become.

Calling the app's release an "anarchical settlement," Fabrice said Niantic shoul have sought permission to put his village on Pokemon GO's maps.

"When a cafe or a restaurant owner wants to open a business in any French town, they have an obligation to request prior authorization to the mayor. The rule applies to all people wishing to set up an activity or occupy a space on a public property. So it applies to Niantic as well, even though their settlement is virtual," he said.

And, if the game's alien status weren't bad enough, Fabrice also says the app is "contagious" and could become a "dangerous addiction" to young gamers. So far, he's not been made aware of any Pokemon GO-related incidents in his village, and Fabrice would like to keep it that way.

"They (Niantic developers) use the entire planet as a playground," he said, dismayed by the company's invasive growth. Wanting to keep his village quiet, Fabrice is confident the game's removal will prevent the town from falling under Pokemon GO's alluring charms.

Of course, this isn't the first time someone has requested Pokemon GO be removed from specific locations. Niantic has removed the app from locations like Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and Cambodia's genocide museum. As for Fabrice's village, he's said pocket monsters have appeared near the Bressolles' war memorial.

Niantic hasn't officially responded to Fabrice's request yet, but a company spokesperson did say they were "moving quickly to review and address all such requests." From residencies to businesses, it seems like no place is safe from Pokemon GO's wide-spread grip. People have complained about the app's disruptive presence since it was released earlier this year, claiming the game encouraged trainers to trespass on private property in their search for Pokemon.

Still, the game stands as one of the most popular apps of all-time. Having debuted in over 50 countries, Pokemon GO hosts millions of users a day despite its few controversies. Some countries have partially banned the app from certain locations, and Iran was the first to all-out prohibit the game. So, if you suspect any rare Pokemon might be hiding out in Bressolles, you might want to visit the village sooner rather than later. Who knows how long those pocket monsters will be there for?

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