Players with multiple accounts

[ichiDad]

Around here, I've noticed a few Pokemon Go players with multiple accounts. For example, there is one person on team Instinct (yellow) with three accounts, the same user name ending in 1, 2 and 3. He can fill a gym to level 3, and one can see this in gyms in the area (his players are something like: level 32, level 20 and level 15). Of course, it's possible it is three separate people, but if so they always travel together. I've also noticed several other team Instinct players doing this.

I have no problem with people doing this, but my question is why and how would one actually do this? Would one have to sign in and out all the time, or carry around multiple devices? I barely have enough time in my life for one player, much less three! I suppose having three accounts would increase my chances of hatching a Lapras! Does anyone here use multiple accounts?

 

[VisualJae]

I have three accounts, one for each team.

One reason people would do this (aside from trying to predict what Niantic would do for legendary birds), is out of personal amusement/sheer boredom.

It's going to take me 750,000 to get to my next level (33) for my Mystic account. I don't want to go out of my way to grind. Plus I'm done with every regional Dex other than Asia. My Gym teams are pretty much decked out (takes me around 1.2 hours to solo down a level 10 Gym equipped with Pokémon from CP2400-3200, including multiple Lapras, Snorlax and Dragonite). In other words, there is little left for me to accomplish on that account other than absolutely maximizing whatever I already have.

Due to the above, I decided to get some satisfaction out of building out a Valor and Instinct account (currently at level 18 and 21, respectively). Those two accounts haven't done any Gym work yet. I'm just going to see how far I can take them while waiting for Niantic to push out another big update.

 

[Neltharion83]

It can be a bit of an unfair advantage in the gym game, because you can knock down a level 10 gym to 49500 and level it back up to 50000 to get a spot in a level 10 gym, otherwise this takes two players to do. But its not too bad, even when playing alone with one account i find enough level 9 gyms that i can use. Also i often have the opportunity to do the same with friends, I help them by punching down level 10 red or yellow gyms to level 9, and they do the same when i want into a blue gym.

I think multiaccounting should be legal as long as you only play one account at a time. Live and let live, the disadvantage to other players is just too tiny to justify action against it.

What i think is awkward and i do not like it is when people play two accounts simultaneously with two cellphones, that is taking it too far in my oppinion. This could be really unfair once trading is intruduced because you could push your stronger account using your weaker account(s), that would be cheating. But banning both accounts seems too harsh, niantic should just ban the lower level one.