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Escape Rooms
TheFarix-PGO
Posts: 4,975 ✭✭✭✭✭
Do escape rooms meet criteria as a local attraction? To use a local example, Psycopath Escape Room in Beckley, West Virginia. (https://www.psychopather.com/) The specific criteria I see escape rooms meeting are:
- Popular local spots that you would take a friend visiting your community for the first time.
- Tourist spots that showcase local flavor and culture and that make your city/neighborhood unique.
- Adventurous, off-the-beaten-path tourist attractions.
Unfortunately, I foresee these getting rejected as "Generic Business" because of the wide spread perception that anything that is a business is inherently ineligible, even when they meet the criteria. But I would like an official thumbs up from Niantic so I can at least cite that in the supporting statement. 🙂
Answers
It's a tough one, they are very fun attractions but they do run the generic business risk as well and maybe falling into the hard to prove its permanent (I've seen 3 open in Glasgow, 2 shut within a year). If it's been there a few years and is still there after this epidemic is over then I'd say yeah, could be wirth a submit
I'd have to be convinced with a good supporting statement that sells me on the particular candidate being a popular local spot, unique attraction, or that it's otherwise notable. Or, if it were in an area with few other candidates I might be willing to rate it a little higher.
I do think escape rooms should be POSSIBLE approvals with good support info. And like someone else mentioned, if they've managed to hang on for a few years. They were very trendy for awhile, it seemed a lot opened and shut down not long after. I also agree it will be tough to get through the reviewers that reject all businesses as "generic", but I do think some of these meet criteria for hot spots/tourist attractions.
Overall, I think escape rooms are a good nomination. Even better if you can prove its not part of a chain company doing escape rooms. Each location would have their own unique rooms that would be different than other places escape rooms. So I think it really can meet multiple criteria.
I think it all comes down to getting people on the right mindset for things. This is why I miss AMA's when the Footbridge response was added within a week we saw Fotobridges being submitted and approved. However, while people can agree here this information won't be as widely spread making it much harder for it to be the consensus.
Just try to put as much in the supporting details as possible.
I think a lot of reviewers are wanting to see that escape rooms are not just a fad but instead are going to be long-lasting fixtures in the community.
I've never seen a single one that I was convinced wasn't just a generic business. They don't encourage gathering, they aren't really unique enough to fall into that category or to be a tourist attraction as imo they're all pretty much the same. Especially when Niantic has said that martial arts dojos and dance studios aren't eligible I don't think there's any reason these would be either.