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What has Pokémon Go succeeded in doing within 8 weeks that First Lady Michelle Obama couldn’t accomplish in 8 years?

Answer: Getting kids moving.

Have you noticed more people than usual staring at their phones? Are they walking around in odd places (your front yard, for example) like they’re looking for something? Well, those folks are probably playing a new game, free to download on smart phones, called Pokemon Go. Click here for more information on how the game works.

Basically, the game merges the real world with the hunt for fictional Pokemon animals. People open the game on their phones and try to find and capture Pokemon, which are “hidden” in real life locations determined by Google maps. Real locations where Pokemon could be hiding include yards, parks, schools, landmarks, museums, stores, public libraries … pretty much anywhere. Including your property. That means you might see lots of people on their phones coming to your house or workplace at all hours to capture Pokemon.

That could be a good thing for some businesses. It could even be good for tourism areas, though some Pokémon Go inclusions are disrespectful. Several businesses and museums have complained that Pokemon Go is either inappropriate or harmful for their business. Complaints from Arlington National Cemetery and The Holocaust Museum were the first to be noted by news outlets.

That could also be a bad thing for homeowners. If a Pokémon is located at your private property, you might not want lots of people showing up any time of day or night.

What if you don’t want your home (or your business) to be included in the game?

That is up to Niantic, the company that created and controls the game and has only now tried to address the problem of unwanted locations.

You can visit Pokemon Go‘s support page and fill out a ticket to request your home, businesses, or organization be removed from Pokemon Go. If you’re trying to remove your location/home/business from Pokemon Go, be sure to note that you’re the owner or official representative as Niantic seems to be a lot more responsive to those requests. It helps to know the address and latitude/longitude of the location you’re requesting, which can usually be found via your Google Map app.  Due to the volume of requests Niantic is getting, it will probably take several weeks to respond and Niantic may not approve every request.

The same form will also allow businesses and organizations to add their location to Pokemon Go.