Should multiple accounts be allowed in Pokemon GO? Reddit weighs in

The Pokemon GO community is currently finding itself in one of the major moral dilemmas that every online game faces at some point. Users on the game's subreddit have been discussing whether or not having multiple accounts should be considered cheating. Although Niantic directly tackles this issue in their terms and conditions of the game, classifying such an act as cheating, some players cannot help but express a different opinion.

There were some convincing arguments from both perspectives that resulted in an interesting conversation on the matter. This has been a common discussion on the game's subreddit and has recently been brought into the spotlight once again. So what do players have to say regarding multiple accounts for Niantic's popular mobile game?

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Reddit reacts to smurf accounts in Pokemon GO

Mutliple accounts, something to be banned for or merely frowned against? byu/Wisent96 inpokemongo

u/Wisent96 made a post on the Pokemon GO subreddit in which they acknowledge that Niantic classifies one player having multiple accounts as cheating. However, they stated that they felt like very few players get banned for having multiple accounts, even stating that it is the norm in their area.

Later, they described an experience with two specific players having multiple accounts that they used to lock down an area, claiming every gym near them and never allowing them to fall. They stated that while they never had a problem with players having multiple accounts before, these players have ruined the fun for the area.

Other trainers commenting on the subreddit

Many Redditors mentioned that how the player uses their alternative accounts would determine how ethical or unethical they were being. Using another account to trade Pokemon to a "host" or primary account seems okay among the community. However, using these accounts to stuff gyms or cheat other Pokemon into the game and transfer them to another account is considered cheating by most players. u/Major_Lawfulness6122 said:

Comment byu/Wisent96 from discussion inpokemongo

Overall, many feel that having two accounts in Pokemon GO is not a big deal as long as they are not used nefariously. However, since there is no real way to moderate what players use their accounts for, it is understandable to see why Niantic would just forbid them altogether.

u/VeterinarianIcy6872 believes Niantic may take action if users report the account:

Comment byu/Wisent96 from discussion inpokemongo

Others were disheartened that nothing was truly stopping these players from making a second account, aside from risking a ban.

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Alternatives to making a new account for Pokemon GO: Transferring and trading

A trade machine as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The main reason why players seem to make alternative Pokemon GO accounts is to trade or transfer Pokemon between accounts. Some players do this to bypass trade requirements on certain creature evolutions like Golem or Alakazam, while others transfer creatures to avoid paying for extra creature storage.

Players have found ways to cheat trades using spoofing apps and GPS. Some also transfer their monsters from GO to the Pokemon Home storage application or the Pokemon: Let's GO set of titles.