Archinect - News

Pokémon Go is forcing us to grapple with 'virtual usage' zoning

2016-08-11T13:22:00-04:00

“if augmented reality really catches on, and an internet environment overlaid on our real world surroundings becomes common, what will be the rules around using that augmented space?" [...] Could you sell, lease, or subdivide the digital rights to your own home, yard, or lobby? Could you extract a toll, tax, or commission from virtual usage?

Referencing multiple, international cases of private property disputes over the mega-popular Pokémon Go game, Geoff Manaugh floats the idea of zoning regulations for virtual and augmented reality instances.

As players wander through public and private spaces alike to catch 'em all, they inevitably trespass on certain stakeholders ideas' of what's allowed in that space—especially if the 'Trainers' are profiting financially in any way from occupying, say, a suburban front yard.

As these disputes proliferate (whether from Pokémon Go, or the next AR/VR game to takes its place in popularity), Manaugh's piece poses the following: What rights do virtual entities have to be in those spaces? What rights to property owners have to keep Snorlax from napping in their hammock?

More AR/VR on Archinect:

Moscow's own version of Pokémon Go will let you "catch" famous figures from Russian history

2016-07-25T13:46:00-04:00

Moscow City Hall has announced the launch of its own version of online game “Pokemon Go.” Russians will be asked to find and "catch" historical figures in the streets of the capital via an app called “Know Moscow.Photo.” [...] people will be able to catch and take a selfie with [...] Yury Gagarin, Alexander Pushkin, Pyotr Chaikovsky, [founder of the first Russian university] Mikhail Lomonosov, Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte and the tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich,” [...]

No, Pokémon Go is not an urban fantasy for the new flaneur

2016-07-14T15:27:00-04:00

Have you heard? There’s this game called Pokémon Go, and it’s responsible for a radical new relationship to the city!

Think pieces are clogging Twitter and Facebook expounding the virtues of the augmented reality game that has lead distracted pedestrians off cliffs, into muggings, and straight to a corpse, while simultaneously and dramatically taking away attention from more pressing topics like, say, police brutality.

Here’s a pessimistic (cynical and snarky) round-up of some of the commentary making its way through the internet tubes:

“In our collective hunt for silly cartoon monsters, Pokémon Go players are discovering history and architecture left and right,” writes Mark Wilson for Fast.Co Design in an article entitled "Pokémon Go" Is Quietly Helping People Fall In Love With Their Cities.” In the optimistic article, Wilson notes how many Pokéstops – sites where you can find Pokémon – are real-world historical buildings and landmarks. They’re also strip clubs, abortion memorials, a...