Players of the popular Pokémon Go smartphone game need to respect private property.

That’s the message from an East Vancouver man who is fed up with monster-catchers trying to get into his building’s yard to play.

The Commercial Drive property somehow became home to a Pokémon gym last week, attracting a swarm of players and leading resident James Roy to post a sign outside lamenting the trend as “by far the stupidest thing” he’s ever seen.

The sign, which has since gone viral on social media, then compares the fad to several other unpleasant experiences Roy has lived through, including Hammer pants, Crystal Pepsi, the Macarena and George W. Bush’s presidency.

“There’s a bar up the street and around the corner. Go there, have a beer, and seriously think about your life choices,” he implores players.

The issue started mid-week, when people started showing up at the building and asking for access to its fenced-off yard.

Roy said the Pokémon-chasers were polite, but the building has a community garden outside that residents are concerned could get trampled.

“The entire building eats from it,” Roy told CTV News. “We wanted to protect it.”

The Vancouverite put his sign up on Friday, and was shocked to see it spread across the internet over the weekend, eventually even being translated into different languages.

But despite the assumption many have made that Roy is a “grumpy old man,” the 38-year-old insists it was mainly intended as a light-hearted joke.

“I don’t hate the game, though it’s definitely not for me. I guess it’s good that it’s getting people outside,” Roy said.

He also stressed that the people he turned away were not disappointed children.

“These are not kids. They weren’t much younger than I am,” he said.

Last week, the Pokémon Go craze spurred a safety warning from police in Vancouver and Richmond, who cautioned people to always be aware of their surroundings, and never play while driving or biking.

Police also told players to keep off private property.