Pokemon Go Players Gather at Person's House Mislabeled as a Gym

Pokemon Go has been the cause of many bizarre stories. The latest has homeowner Boon Sheridan getting visits from players all throughout the day. Why? His house used to be a church, and because of this, it's been labelled as a Pokemon Go Gym.

Gyms in Pokemon Go are typically placed at landmarks and act as a location where players can battle to take ownership of them. Sheridan posted that his house had become one on Twitter, where he said he had seen 15 people "stopping by and lingering [on] their phones," in addition to multiple cars stopping in front of his house for a while. The number has only gone up from there with visits happening at all hours of the day and night.

"I just realized all the people walking or driving up, lingering, then moving on could easily make this place look like a dealer's house," Sheridan tweeted.

We got the opportunity to speak to Sheridan about the situation, which he said was "startling for a few minutes" when he first saw people and cars loitering outside his house. Thankfully, Sheridan says everyone has been respectful and friendly to him and his property. He also admitted to playing the game himself.

"It's a nice implementation, and my wife and I do it when we're out walking or visiting other towns," Sheridan said. "It's fun to have a game we can both play, not to mention my nephews and younger relatives play."

In light of the situation, Sheridan has come up with some ideas for what he can do with his house. He pondered making a sign, encouraging players to "'Train well, play with honor, leave as friends' or something equally cornball." He also played with the idea of displaying a light that changed color based on the Gym's ownership--Yellow, Blue, and Red for the appropriate teams.

"I've been talking with a few smartypants people, and we may try a little API magic to see if we can pull off the 'Change the color of lights to match the gym color,' but it’s early days," he said.

Sheridan even met the current owner of his Gym, but he did not say what team he was on.

Sheridan told us that although he's enjoyed the experiment, he does hope he's able to move the Pokemon Gym at some point in the future. At the moment, developer Niantic is only taking reports for locations that "present immediate physical danger." However, if Sheridan ever gets the option to have the Gym relocated, he hopes it doesn't move too far away.

"It's been a lot of fun, but I think it's a good idea to try and get the gym moved," Sheridan said. "It turns out there's a great park right across the street from my house. A simple fix may be nudging the coordinates a few degrees and then everyone's happier. The neighborhood keeps the gym, and I get a little more privacy."

For more Pokemon Go stories from around the world, check out GameSpot's news round-up here.