Pokémon Go an unlikely antidote to physical inactivity

While distracted users have been the focus of safety fears, the global phenomena that is Pokémon Go is being praised as an unlikely antidote to physical inactivity.

Launched on 6th July in North America, the smartphone game, which uses augmented reality to send players in to public places to capture virtual Pokémon, has, as of today, topped 15 million downloads on Apple's App Store and Google Play, according to estimates from research firm SensorTower. 

One of the more unlikely outcomes of the wildly successful launch has seen many Pokémon Go players walking long distances each day to play the game, boosting their overall physical activity.

With online and virtual gamers widely considered to be among the least active of populations, players have been swapping their sofas for local public spaces as they head out in search of Pokémon to catch, with many taking to social media to celebrate their new-found levels of activity.

One user tweeted, "thanks to #PokemonGO I walked 5 miles (8 kilometres) and made eight new friends yesterday. This is the most active and social I have been in months."

Another tweeted, "knowing I've actually walked at least 8 miles (13 kilometres) within the past week is great considering I never leave the house."

Dr Michael Jonesco, a sports medicine physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in the USA and author of Four Easy Ways to Get More Exercise, stated “anything that gets people up off their couch … and out in the real world moving around I think is a wonderful thing.”

Pokémon Go rewards players for their efforts in the physical world, with medals and other incentives for players who hit milestones such as 10 kilometres covered in one day.

Pokémon Go aligns with the growing trend towards gamification across the fitness sector, which began with the Nintendo Wii Fit, released in 2007, and has developed through popular apps such as Zombies, Run!

However, Pokémon Go appears to be inspiring higher degrees of activity than many previous exergames because this game requires users to walk around, whereas many previous exergames could actually be played with relatively little activity.

Pokémon Go is based on the sure of the player’s device camera, so that when they look at their smartphone, they see a Pokémon character superimposed over a real-world object, a feature known as augmented reality.

Unlike many types gaming, Pokémon Go is not a solitary experience with players already gathering for group walks, to collectively search for their rewards.

Lower image shows a Pokémon Go group walk in Perth this week.

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