Home of National Security Agency Says Pokémon Go Off Limits

FORT MEADE, MD — As gamers wander around Anne Arundel County glued to their cell phones trying to nab Pokémon Go characters, there is one place you should steer clear of: Fort Meade.

Home to the National Security Agency, officials at the military site recently posted a warning to game players noting that playing Pokémon Go is not a valid reason for entering the installation. Consider yourself warned.

Service members, family members, employees and others who have authorization to enter Fort Meade are free to play the game as long as they do so without creating a safety hazard, says the post’s public affairs office.

Pokémon Go has exploded in the United States in recent weeks, and people can be seen far and wide wandering around trying to catch nearby Pokémon.

The firm note from the NSA and Fort Meade echoes a plea earlier this month from the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., which chided Pokémon Go players for using the museum as their own personal battleground in a place that memorializes the millions of victims of Nazi oppression and cruelty.

In addition, there is a "Pokestop" — a virtual place where players can get free items like pokeballs and potions — inside the museum, which didn’t doesn't sit well with its staff.

The Pokémon Go mobile app based on Nintendo's popular Pokémon franchise uses your phone's location settings to create a semi-virtual world where the user is surrounded by Pokémon. And users can be lured to a site through a game feature, which prompted this warning from Fort Meade officials:

All Pokémon Go players must observe all security barriers. Unauthorized entrance to a restricted area for the purposes of playing the game is trespassing. Contractors or other visitors who violate security parameters will have their post passes revoked.

The Fort Meade Police Department has expressed concern for the safety of personnel playing the game. In addition, photography restrictions on post remain in effect. If a person appears to be taking photographs of restricted areas, they will be stopped by law enforcement officers and asked to allow their devices to be inspected for physical security reasons.

On and off post, players of the game are urged to use the battle buddy system to reduce the possibility of becoming victims of crimes.

Other military branches are also aware of the craze, with the Marine Corps poking fun at the game with this tweet.

How to Play Pokemon Go

How does it work? As you move, your smartphone vibrates to let you know you're near a Pokémon. Players then throw a PokéBall to catch it and add it to their PokéDex. The game uses your phone’s GPS and camera to turn the real world into a gigantic scavenger hunt.

In each town nationwide, developers have added PokéStops— from libraries and churches to public art installations, historical markers and monuments. An in-game item called a “Lure Module” attracts Pokémon to a PokeStop for 30 minutes and they're visible and attainable to everyone nearby.

According to Forbes magazine, businesses are jumping on the PokéWagon and advertising that they're a PokéStop on their Facebook pages, which is a great way to entice players to come into their stores.

Have you downloaded Pokémon GO? Tell us where in the comments!

Read more about Pokémon GO here.