Pokémon GO Player Asks For A PokéStop Near House, Gets Gym Instead
A Pokémon GO player recently got his PokéStop request approved but, in a surprise turn of events, got a Gym instead. Gyms are one of the most important locations in Pokémon GO as they are where many of the game's battle-related activities take place. Players must fight in Pokémon GO Gym Battles to either take control of or defend these points of interest for their respective teams. Those who successfully take control and defend a Gym can earn PokéCoins for their efforts. Players can also collect items at Gyms similar to regular PokéStops and participate in Raid Battles when they’re available.
Pokémon GO’s PokéStops recently became a controversial topic as developer Niantic announced that it was reverting the PokéStop and gym interaction distance back to the game’s original 40 meters from the recently implemented 80 meter range, which was implemented last year due to the ongoing pandemic. This decision caused tremendous backlash from the community and ended up with Niantic announcing at the start of this month that it will be making Pokémon GO's 80 meter interaction distance permanent.
Reddit user Anthony-Harvey shared a screenshot of their new PokéStop-turned-Gym that’s conveniently positioned next to their house. Apparently, Anthony-Harvey initially sent in a nomination for a PokéStop, but while the request was approved, a Gym was placed in the location instead. While the result wasn’t exactly what they expected, Anthony-Harvey seems to be happy with it based on their replies to some of the comments on their post. According to them, the new Gym is assigned to a post sign on a bike path in their area that also has other PokéStops along the same patch. They said that it took two to three months for the new location to be approved.
According to Niantic and some of the comments on the post, nominating a PokéStop is a relatively easy process. Firstly, players need to be level 38 before they can put forward an object or location for consideration. Players can then go into the game’s settings and choose to nominate a new PokéStop. Apart from pinpointing the location of the PokéStop on a map, they’ll also need to take several photos of the object or location as well as submit a title and description for the PokéStop. The nominated object or location will then be checked by a community of reviewers for eligibility.
Getting a Gym instead of a regular PokéStop right beside your house can definitely be a big bonus for any player, as it provides not only more items but more activities for them to participate in. And with the apparent ease of which players are able to at least nominate objects and places, those living in areas that don’t have many PokéStops and Gyms can look forward to nominating new ones once they reach the appropriate level.
Pokémon GO is currently available for both iOS and Android.
Source: Anthony-Harvey/Reddit