Pokemon Go player finds IRL Team Rocket Grunt hoarding gym
A Pokemon Go player claims to have found an IRL anime antagonist who sets up in front of a gym and doesn’t allow anyone to take it over.
Pokemon Go is all about getting out, connecting with players, and building communities of trainers. Or so Niantic often claims, but rural players don’t always have that luxury.
With limited Pokestops, Gyms, and walkable paths; players in agrestic areas can’t play Pokemon Go as easily as those in bigger cities. This leads to frustration with Niantic, but can sometimes cause players to become disgruntled with one another.
Recently, a player who goes by LupoNoir on Reddit took to the forum to complain about an IRL villain. Living in a sylvan neighborhood that’s limited to a single gym, this real-life Team Rocket Grunt hoards the town’s sole gym crushing the spirits of those who dare to challenge him.
Niantic / The Pokemon CompanyPokemon Go player ‘runs’ local gym
According to LupoNoir, the 21-year-old gym keeper has a setup outside of the gym – an old church. “He just sits at the location of the gym with a pop-up table a tablet and a phone and some power banks and continues to ‘run’ the gym.”
Noir explained that this man has multiple accounts he uses to kick any team out of the gym. Any attempt to reason with the man is met with “it’s a game”, “be better”, and being called a “pokeboomer.”
This causes more than one issue for the players in Noir’s rural area. Not only are they locked out of gyms, but they also can’t stay in gyms long enough to earn free Pokecoins.
A look at the comments reveals Noir is not the only person who has dealt with gym hoarders like this. Others offered advice like nominating Pokestops once the player reaches level 38 or having enough people report the gym so it gets removed.
Technically, the gym hoarder isn’t breaking any of Niantic’s terms of service, he’s just showing a lack of sportsmanship.
That being said, if you play Pokemon Go, take LupoNoir’s advice and don’t be like this guy. Playing together and supporting your fellow trainers is the best way to enjoy Pokemon Go to its fullest.
