A property owner thinking that games players are disruptive (your example of a priest running off raiders) is very different from a location that primarily exists as a place where mourners go. That’s why cemeteries are typically marked as “sensitive location” unless we have proof they are viewed differently by the local community.
Churches are typically open and welcome to all.
Maybe the meanings differ across countries. This kind of discussion reminds me why I stopped visiting the old forums for so long.
In my town “crematorium” means a large site with a cluster of different buildings, including chapels, a large space for gatherings, office buildings, and yes, an incinerator building.
The site also contains large grounds, with a car park, manicured gardens, a war memorial, sculptures, and a large number of “graves” ie small plots with headstones but containing an urn. As I previously mentioned, the war memorial, ornate gates, and a sculpture are old waypoints, I believe long before wayfarer. I didnt nominate them, but they haven’t clearly bothered anyone in 8 years of Go and more of other games. I don’t regard them as ineligible due to the location.
I think this is where “use your best judgement” comes in? Some locations will likely be okay, and some will not. Probably local people from the town or county would know whats okay and what isn’t much better than those from other countries.
This cemetery is geoblocked in Go so I’m assuming someone at some point asked for removal.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Sheen_Cemetery
Why do Niantic still allow the Wayspots to exist at all? Surely the decent thing to do would be just completely remove them?
I don’t know culturally if any churches is “open to all” in the sense you are playing a mobile game not being there to worship.
But again, the key is just one of Point of View And what local reviewers know/can tell.
PS: I also was under the impression that churches eligibility actually was a tie in to Ingress Game Theme as the “O.G.” of Wayfarer was Ingress. So it was more a nod to supernatural angle of Ingress then the “Welcoming” nature of churches.
Originally, yes. “A nod to the otherworldly, which is integral to the story of Ingress.” Now, they fall under eligibility for a place for exploration or even socializing.
Agree with you. A large Catholic church near where I live used to have several Wayspots: one for the church, a couple for statues, and one for a picnic pavilion, from what I can remember. They are all gone now (have been for several years), as I think the church was getting tired of people simply parking in their lot to raid the gym in PoGo and collect items; they weren’t all accessible from the public sidewalk. The other Catholic churches in town have Wayspots, but in PoGo almost all of them are just stops; any that have gyms are ones that can be accessed without being on the church grounds, i.e. from the sidewalk.
Many rural churches, especially older ones, may have cemeteries right next to them. I rarely see Wayspots for the cemeteries, but do for the churches. If the cemetery does have a Wayspot, it usually is due to it no longer having active burials, so it’s possible that type is seen as being of historical value.
There are also quite a few cemeteries out in the middle of nowhere in rural areas that haven’t had burials for decades, maybe even longer. There used to be a small community nearby, but it’s now a ghost town. Many of these are not maintained, and have started to fall into disrepair. I wouldn’t find these cemeteries to be all that great to explore, plus cell service may not even exist, so how are you even going to play?
The cemetery itself is not an eligible candidate.
Therefore, it may be eligible or ineligible depending on the time and circumstances.
Especially in the case of an active cemetery, if there is no clear explanation (e.g., it is famous for its cherry blossoms and is visited by many people in the spring, etc.) that would make it eligible, it will be rejected.
Also, even if there is a grave marker of a famous historical figure in an active cemetery, next to it may be the grave marker of a civilian, and the location may be sensitive.
In this case, the grave marker of a prominent person may be a qualified candidate on its own, but when viewed as a location, it is ineligible.
I call such a candidate an “eligible” but “ineligible” POI.
Considering that real world rules need to be followed, and that ineligible requirements take precedence over qualified requirements, I recommend that you check to see if any of these apply.
There are also different cases in countries or regions where religious facilities and meeting places are separated and there are meeting places that are not congruent with religious beliefs, but the majority of the reasons for a religious facility to qualify would be for “social”.
In many countries and regions, religious facilities also serve as meeting places, so if you can clearly explain the requirements, you may be considered eligible. (A prominent church or temple could also be considered an “explor” site.)
However, as in any other case, make sure that the facility does not fall under any clear ineligibility or removal requirements, such as K-12.
This is especially true of churches, but in some cases, religious institutions operate kindergartens and orphanages in the spirit of their service, some of which may be co-located on the property.
Nominators should therefore check carefully.