‘Pokémon Go’ managed to get people who had never moved in their lives to suddenly start walking, and breathe new life into a franchise that was already in pretty good shape. But what no one expected is that it would permanently modify geography. Well, something like that. And it’s because beaches have started to appear on maps of the United States that shouldn’t be there because of a single creature.
There is no beach here, oh well
It all started on April 22, when Niantic announced that Wiglett could appear at any time… but players quickly guessed that it only appeared near beach and coastal areas. Great for spring and warm weather, not so great for those who live in a central location in each country (or in an inland country). Does that mean they would have to travel to complete the Pokédex? Of course not.
It turns out that ‘Pokémon Go’ uses OpenStreetMaps as its base, a kind of collaborative Google Maps where, like Wikipedia, everyone can add their real-life findings. And of course, players started creating new beaches everywhere, even new ones shaped like Pokéballs, so that there is no doubt about who is modifying the topography.
Suddenly, golf courses, playgrounds, and even major roads were labeled as “beaches,” with two interests at stake: on one hand, trainers who want to catch their Wiglett no matter what. On the other hand, the creators of OpenStreetMaps, who believe that this corrupts their original idea and want no errors in their app.
Ash Ketchum didn’t have these things happen to him, to be honest.