The Pokemon Go craze is receiving criticism after players have been seen swarming to solemn landmarks all to try and "catch" some of the characters.
Across the country, Pokemon characters can be spotted on a person's phone at sites like the 9/11 Memorial in New York City and the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
In the metro area, Pokemon players can stop at landmarks like the National World War I Museum & Memorial and the Union Cemetery to reload on "Pokeballs" and search for Pokemon.
On Wednesday, more than a dozen people were spotted playing the game on the grounds of the war memorial.
"Someone posted on Facebook that there was a 'Dragonite' here," explained Luis Ortiz, who wore a Pokemon Ash Ketchum hat as he searched around the World War I Memorial. "That's a really rare Pokemon. So I wanted to get it."
Using a smartphone, players can witness Pokemon characters jumping on places around the memorial area, including an honorary tree dedicated to Marines who died in World War II.
Ortiz said he was aware of the connection to the landmark, but he was OK with playing the game as long as nothing was disrupted.
"As long as you're being respectful, then I think that's totally fine," he said.
As the Pokemon Go craze continues to grow around the country, World War I Museum & Memorial President Matthew Naylor encouraged people to come to the landmark to search for Pokemon.
"When we look around the park here, there are plenty of people looking at their phones playing the game," he explained.
At the memorial, players can take part in a "Pokestop" where they can reload on "Pokeballs" if they stand within a certain area.
Naylor said that the new game is a way for people to spend time outside, and it can help bring more people to the landmark.
"We want people to be out here during recreation, to be jogging, to be doing yoga, to be walking their dogs, having picnics," said Naylor, who has served as president of the memorial for three years. "This is just another form of recreation."
Other landmarks across the metro area also serve as locations within the Pokemon Go game.
Union Cemetery, featuring tombstones of fallen Civil War soldiers, is another place where players can battle Pokemon characters.
Much like the World War I Memorial & Museum, "Pokestops" and game characters can be spotted with a phone amongst the tombstones.
Matt McLaughlin, who was attending a program at the World War I Museum on Wednesday, said he was bothered by the idea of people playing the game at solemn landmarks.
"For me, there are certain places that are, to a degree, sacred for our country," he explained.
As McLaughlin spoke, players could be seen playing Pokemon Go a distance away.
"These places are what make us American and what makes us Kansas City," he said. "That is why we have these kinds of places. I think that's a tough thing to have people playing those games here."
As of Wednesday night, the Pokemon Company declined to comment on the issue.
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Tom Dempsey can be reached at Tom.Dempsey@KSHB.com.
