Certain Pokemon Go players will soon be able to submit their own Pokestops for the AR monster catching game. Niantic has announced that player-submitted Pokestops will roll out in a beta format very soon. However, there are many restrictions tied to what kind of landmarks can be considered for this system, so you can’t just pick anywhere.
Niantic’s beta for user-created Pokemon Go Pokestops will initially only be available to players in Brazil and South Korea. To be fit for the program, users must be level 40 or above and not have a child account. If a player has reached these requirements, they can send photographs and descriptions of their chosen locations. Once these nominations are submitted, “experienced users in the Ingress Operation Portal Recon (OPR) project” will review them for eligibility. For a location to be acceptable to become a Pokestop, according to the support site for the game, they should be:
- A location with a cool story, a place in history or educational value
- An interesting piece of art or unique architecture (Statues, paintings, mosaics, light installations, etc.)
- A hidden gem or hyper-local spot
- Public parks
- Public libraries
- Public places of worship
- Major transit stations hubs (like Grand Central Station)
Locations that will absolutely not be eligible include “Adult-oriented stores or services”, places that do not have safe pedestrian access, temporary locations (such as pop-up stores), and “Natural features such as landscapes, mountains, waterfalls” to name a few. Niantic does, however, add that for the latter ineligible location, man-made points of interests such as plaques or signs near them can be nominated to become a Pokestop.
Pokestops in the game are certain landmarks in the real world players can visit to receive rewards. They will need to physically be close to the stops to activate them. The rewards include Pokeballs, various berries, and new tasks to complete. Pokemon Go initially released in 2016 and is developed by Niantic of Ingress fame.
