Ok, so I received a nomination in review for a mural at a veterinary clinic. When looking at the supporting photo, it seemed to be in an exam room, not a place like the waiting room. On Google Maps for this clinic, there were other murals in other exam rooms, such as this one (see the exam table at the bottom):
I felt it was best to reject it, as I don’t really find it appropriate to be playing any of the games while someone may be getting some bad news about their pet’s health, or worse, have to say goodbye.
Just wanting to see what everyone else thinks of this. I think the murals are great, but if they’re in exam rooms, may not be the best location.
None of the games to my knowledge would require people to actually go into the examination room to play.
And people in the room, would have the choice to play or not play… rather than have reviewers arbitrary decide its “Sensitive”…
I had to put my 15 year old dog down, in a room, less than 6 months ago. And do you know when the Vet took my dog back to get her ready and I was waiting, I loaded up Pokemon. I needed the distraction something to pass those few minutes, and it wasn’t a stop, just normal every day location.
We’ve had this debate before relating to human hospitals and parts that didn’t obstruct emergency services as sensitive because it was a hospital… only to have nurses and patients reply they needed the distraction too.
The point of all the games is to be at the exact location for play. Just because there have been features introduced that allow play from a distance, such as remote raid passes in PoGo, doesn’t mean there aren’t people at that gym raiding. We’re still supposed to get out and interact with Wayspots where they are at, not from a distance.
The last thing I would be thinking of when saying goodbye to a pet is a video game; if I pulled out my phone, it would be to call/text family or friends to let them know, as well as to seek out their support. Now, this is me, and everyone grieves differently.
I also don’t think the vets and vet staff would appreciate people just wondering around their clinic, going from exam room to room, to spin a stop or hack a portal. I can easily see them contacting Niantic asking for the removal of the Wayspot.
I’m from a rural area, and an exam room may also be an emergency room at a vet clinic. They may also perform surgery in there, especially if they are limited on space.
These can apply to any location, allowable or not.
Grieving may come in many forms and players can probably largely agree that having the game available provides a distraction. The question would be if the hospital/any facility has the designated spaces where one can be distracted and fit within the criteria. I think the nature of the exam room being the site of medical industry has points towards the rejection while the waiting room may be allowable, location-wise.
The seating here looks more like a waiting area than an exam room to me. There are no chairs in the exam rooms at my vet surgery except under the computer desk for the vet
It would depend on the nomination, but I would probably accept a mural at a vet surgery. I don’t think its somewhere that players would treat as a destination, but it’s something to interact with when you’re there ie if you work there or if youre visiting with your pet.
The game has never required you to be in touching distance to play. Even when the game first launched you had to get closer but not touch the POI. In today’s game I would bet you the stop would be accessible from a waiting room and even likely outside the building
And more importantly, the standards have never been that the entire public needs access to the spot. POIs exist in paid venues and business/communities with locked access. Even if only the clinic staff had access at night to clean, that would satisfy the requirement. One of them could well have been the submitter. Just because something isn’t accessible 24-7 to everyone is no reason to deny an eligible POI.
Ditto that heck most business, a vet included, likes free advertising assuming it doesn’t interfere.
I do think we have context difference in this case. This is a pet-exam-room and not a person-exam room. Sure people love their pets, but the pet which is the actual patient, doesn’t care if the room is a POI or not.
My analogy’s point was unless it obstructs emergency services, POIs in actual human hospitals are allowed so why would a Pet-Medical (Vet) be considered “Sensitive Location” seems wrong.
Thanks, as I said earlier, I just had to put my 15-year old dog down in a room like that. Yes I grieved. But I also opened the app to distract myself while cookie was taken back to get the insert for the medicine by the vet.
What I said was if an entire Human Hospital is not considered sensitive, why would a pet location be considered sensitive? Do you really think pets are more important than actual human beings???
PS-edit: If this comes across as attacking, it wasn’t meant to. But please don’t take 2 words out of sentence, your selective quote complete lost the context I was saying and changed the meaning of my post entirely, and unfairly.
But again, this returns to the fact that you don’t have to be in the individual treatment room to interact with the POI. Unlike human treatment rooms, the patient doesn’t care + there is no visible medical equipment in that room to suggest it obstructs emergency services. And again, Vet Clinics unlike Hospitals tend to close. So after-hours, it would be accessible to employees as well.
So I don’t think this fits either the rejection reason. But hey, everyone gets to vote themselves that is the wayfarer way. I am just posting I would vote for that mural. While obviously the original poster didn’t and suggested others shouldn’t while I am suggesting others should. How each person votes, is up to them.
Niantic wants us to be submitting points of interest. These things need to be tangible. Additionally they need to be identifiable for people playing the different games. Speaking of games, Ingress has in game activities that need to happen at the point of the wayspot. Just because some games have large interaction radiuses doesn’t mean they all do.
