--- description: The Holocaust Museum has requested that visitors not play the smartphone game Pokémon Go inside the building. Here's why. title: Holocaust Museum Asks Guests to Stop Playing Pokémon Go There image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2f1cff3acd79b12/69889b950b72e3b5796ea285/pokemon-go2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Holocaust Museum Asks Guests to Stop Playing _Pokémon Go_ There  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Jul 12, 2016 4:18 PM CUT  Nintendo Co.'s Pokemon Go is displayed on a smartphone Nintendo Co.'s Pokemon Go is displayed on a smartphoneAkio Kon/Bloomberg via Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Jul 12, 2016 4:18 PM CUT Since its July 6 launch, [_Pokémon Go_](http://time.com/4401084/pokemon-go-how-play-guide-tips/ "undefined")— a smartphone game that allows players to catch digital creatures while interacting with the real world — has quickly become [one of the most popular apps](http://time.com/4400815/pokemon-go-nintendo-niantic/ "undefined") in the iOS and Android stores. However, while many have become immersed in the need to “catch ’em all,” some establishments aren’t pleased with the effects of the video game’s [augmented reality](http://time.com/4401924/pokemon-go-church-gym-home/ "undefined"). One such institution is the [Holocaust Museum](http://time.com/3813714/holocaust-remembrance-day-warsaw/ "undefined"), which has requested that visitors not play the game inside the building. “Playing the game is not appropriate in the museum, which is a memorial to the victims of Nazism,” Andrew Hollinger, the museum’s communications director, [told _The Washington Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/07/12/holocaust-museum-to-visitors-please-stop-catching-pokemon-here/?tid=sm%5Ftw "undefined"). “We are trying to find out if we can get the museum excluded from the game.” > [](https://twitter.com/sjorsmoolenaar/status/752878595287060480) The museum has also shown concern over an online image of a Koffing — a Pokémon that expels poison gas — floating in its Helena Rubinstein Auditorium, according to _The Post_. However, the photo has since been deleted from [imgur](http://imgur.com/a/dt0yP "undefined") — the site it was originally posted on — indicating that it could be a hoax. > [](https://twitter.com/QPastura/status/752607991833190401) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4402814/holocaust-museum-pokemon-go/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4402814/holocaust-museum-pokemon-go/"},"headline":"Holocaust Museum Asks Guests to Stop Playing Pokémon Go There","datePublished":"2016-07-12T16:18:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:34:18.822Z","description":"\"Playing the game is not appropriate in the museum\"","url":"https://time.com/4402814/holocaust-museum-pokemon-go/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Internet","Video Games","Pokemon","pokemon go"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2f1cff3acd79b12/69889b950b72e3b5796ea285/pokemon-go2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2f1cff3acd79b12/69889b950b72e3b5796ea285/pokemon-go2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Pokemon Go Rockets To The Most Downloaded App On Both Apple And Android Phones","caption":"Nintendo Co.'s Pokemon Go is displayed on a smartphone","creditText":"Akio Kon/Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4402814/holocaust-museum-pokemon-go/","name":"Holocaust Museum Asks Guests to Stop Playing Pokémon Go There"}}]}] ```