Over the past weeks, a vast amount of water fountains have been removed in various cities of Spain.
I’m assuming that they have now become ineligible according to criteria and that the IA is removing them automatically somehow. Wether the reasoning behind is that they are mass produced or seeing as “infraestructure”, I’d like to argue for a revision of their eligibility considering the following:
-They are mostly placed in public parks, usually safe, public and areas suitable for walking and in many case, these parks would have a single fountain, so it makes it kinda unique in its environment.
-In the particular case of Spain, where temperatures in the summer many times goes around the 40ºC/104ºF mark, they are vital for the safety and hidration of explorers. I’m sure many have experienced the relief of finding a drinkable water fountain via a pokestop in a city you didn’t know.
With all these in consideration, and more thinks you could come up with, I’m asking for a reconsideration of the criteria to spare this kind of water fountains from dissapearing and restore the gone ones, if possible.
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One of the things that would need to be considered is whether they subject matter encourages Exercise, Exploration and Socialising. I don’t know what criterial the Water Fountain would fall under for removal, but I would equally argue that it wouldn’t be eligible for inclusion. However, I would be happy to be proven wrong.
Drinking fountains typically are just infrastructure, as most places, outdoor and indoor, have them these days. They’re pretty indistinct, especially if they only function as a drinking water fountain. You even note that in Spain, they pretty much are infrastructure, to provide water during warm days; even indoor drinking fountains provide water for those in need of a drink, whatever the reason may be.
Now, if the fountain has something else that makes them eligible, say artwork, the artwork may make them eligible. But if the fountain is just to provide drinking water and nothing else, they are ineligible.
Could argue exactly the same for children playgrounds… and I acknowledge that they are uneligible, it’s what I’m trying to change lol.
No, you can’t. Playgrounds are 100% there for exercise. And they help build social skills. Drinking fountains do not help with exercise or explore, typically. You could make an exception if a particular drinking fountain has some kind of historical significance or is decorative to an unusual degree.
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This has been an issue for a long time. I remember @MegaTrainerRed giving us a breakdown on things we would see being submitted in Spain that included drinking fountains. They never were eligible, except for exceptions that had particularly historic or artistic value. Very similar to the situation here with the builder’s real estate neighborhood signs.
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In my opinion, fountains are the most important stops that exist in games that try to make you go for a walk. Of course, many people dedicate themselves to playing comfortably in a car and therefore if it is not a work of art, that fountain is of no use to them, but those of us who go for walks have no doubt that those stops would be essential for pure players.
Drinking fountains just encourage someone to get a drink of water; they do not encourage anyone to actually exercise or go explore the area.
I could nominate all the drinking fountains at my local park, but I’m not at the park to explore them. I might be there for a walk on the trail (great place to exercise/explore), I might be there for a picnic at one of the pavilions (great place to be social), I might be watching a baseball game at the field (great place to be social/exercise), or I might be on the swings at the playground with some friends (great place to be social/exercise). There are more interesting POIs in the park than drinking fountains, as they are just infrastructure most of the times (again, could be eligible if they are historic or have some art, basically something else that meets criteria).
Same could be said with the drinking fountains at my local mall, but I’m going there to do some shopping or eat (explore), meet up with friends (social), check out some of the art (explore), or go for a walk (exercise).
Yes, you could be social at a drinking fountain, but it’s rare that someone will say to meet up at one, and it’s even rarer that you’d stay at one to have a chat. It doesn’t encourage exercise, as you can also drink other things while exercising, like Gatorade or a protein shake, and it doesn’t really encourage you to explore the area anymore than a trash can nearby does.
I hear you. But that is thinking about Wayfarer from a game perspective. The current philosophy behind Wayfarer is that it’s a map of things that have nothing to do with any of the games. It shows things that are great places to:
- Exercise
- Explore
- Socialize
A fountain that gives you water to drink is just infrastructure in the same way a street sign is infrastructure. Roads absolutely need road signs to function properly, but they don’t meet any of the above criteria. Humans need water to keep walking, but the watering spot itself doesn’t meet any of the above criteria.
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or maybe we carry water bottles with us?
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And when it empties, where do you fill it?
I was on your side until you started attacking us. Criteria is that a Wayspot must be a GREAT place for exercise, exploration, or being social. Generic drinking fountains meet none of those criteria. These rules are nothing new. You don’t go to the drinking fountain to do any of those things.
(I go home before my bottle is empty, fwiw.)
You do not exercise at a drinking fountain, plain and simple. It is there to provide people with a drink of water, nothing more, nothing less. It’s infrastructure, like many of us have already noted.
Please also do not assume others here do not do certain things. You may want to review the Community Guidelines, as we want the conversations here to be civil and constructive.
Again, please stop thinking of this as a game map. It is a map of places to exercise, be social, and explore.
While a drinking fountain makes it easier to exercise, it is not THE PLACE you go to exercise. If i told my doctor that i had a good exercise today but all i did was stand at the fountain and drink water, what would he tell me? He would say, “That’s not exercising.”
Wayfarer maps THE PLACE you exercise, not the place that makes it easier to exercise.
No one is disputing that water is important for exercise. We are saying that a plain water fountain does not qualify for the Wayfarer map.
If you are desperately thirsty, find the official park map to know where the fountains are.
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yeah, try carrying it at the temperatures I mentioned in the OP…
None of your arguments matter for the map. Water is important. Watering spots do not belong on the Wayfarer map.
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People do, but that doesn’t matter to this discussion. This is about whether or not drinking fountains are eligible, and we have provided info as to why they are typically not eligible.
Well, they can certainly be the facilitators that enable, or even make it possible. As I mentioned on the early post, you can bring a freezing bottle that it won’t last much at 104ºF before it becomes an undrinkable piss-like mess.
Exactly, you are totally missing the point. This is not about wether they are eligible or not.
Well, if you know the temperature is going to affect the Water in your Bottle, take a Cool Bag with you. You are not winning us over with your point. A Water Fountain is important where one exists, but it doesn’t make it eligible within Niantic Games.
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