"[Story] The old man and the spoofer"

#PokemonGO: I was in the park playing pogo today when, immediately after I took down a gym, an old man who I hadn't noticed before came up and frustratedly made a comment about spoofers always taking the gyms in this area.I told him no that it was me that had taken the gym and we got to talking. He looked to be in his 60s (grey hair/beard, heavyset) and said he had a really hard time moving around due to pain caused by a side effect/complication of diabetes he suffered from (I had mentioned I had lost a lot of weight playing and he encouraged me to keep exercising to avoid the pain he was suffering from). This gym was a few hundred meters from the nearest parking lot so it was clear it took him a lot of effort to get here. I asked him what team he was and he said Instinct. I was Mystic but he hadn't collected coins yet today so I told him to go ahead and take the gym back while it was still level one and I'd leave it alone.I told him these gyms had been trading back and forth regularly hoping he would note to collect right away after taking it. We talked a bit more and he started prestiging after dropping in a cloyster (and getting a laugh about it). I said goodbyes and good lucks then and headed off towards some pokestops down the path.About not even 5 minutes later I noticed a Mystic spoofer take back the gym.Now, I don't let myself get super angry about spoofers. I have a lot of time to play and love all the exercise I get from running around taking down gyms. I don't mind re-taking gyms and I actually like the satisfaction of the minor annoyance it must cause the cheaters. I feel like spoofers miss the whole point - exploring new areas and getting healthy while doing so. This seems like an awfully boring game to play from your couch all day. But whatever.But I DO feel bad for players like that old man - who clearly has a very hard time getting around. That gym clearly meant more to him than it did to me, let alone someone playing from their couch. To watch as someone cheating took down a gym that was painful for him to get to was incredibly frustrating.I'm not under any illusions that my story will cause any spoofers to stop doing it, and although I remain hopeful I'm not under any illusions that Niantic will suddenly figure out how to prevent it (though it would be nice if the gym re-work made it less lucrative). But I WOULD like to congratulate all the legit players for not stooping to cheating. I know for a lot of players its hard to play the right way when they see others taking their hard-earned gyms while cheating. I'm especially proud of players like the man I met today who play the right way despite pain and physical limitations that make it hard for them.My fiance was in a car accident a few years ago that, among other things, caused multiple fractures in both legs. After a lot of surgeries and metal added to her legs, today she walks with a limp, wears two knee-braces, and needs to use a cane. She lost cartilege in the surgeries and so has arthritis and suffers constant knee pain. She will likely need a knee replacement in the future. Despite this, she loves going for short walks with me and once she finishes her phd this summer she wants to start playing pogo with me. I'm proud of her and hopeful she can enjoy the game as much as I do. She's not a big gamer like I am but I'm really looking forward to us sharing an activity that helps us get exercise.As for the old man? I hope he still managed to get some coins today.As for the spoofer? Shame on you.tldr: watching spoofers "win" is frustrating, but the exercise you get playing the real way will be exponentially more rewarding in the long run. And huge props to those that play legit despite physical limitations. via /r/pokemongo http://ift.tt/2r1shZc