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Influence of Pokémon Go on Physical Activity: Study and Implications
Tim Althoff1, Ryen W White2, Eric Horvitz2
1Computer Science Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
|December 8, 2016
Summary
Pokémon Go significantly increased physical activity, adding 144 billion steps in the US. This augmented reality game effectively reached inactive populations, unlike many health apps.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Physical activity is crucial for health but often insufficient globally.
- Many interventions fail to increase activity or reach inactive groups.
- Mobile games integrating physical activity show anecdotal success, with Pokémon Go as a prime example.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the impact of Pokémon Go on physical activity levels.
Main Methods:
- Utilized wearable sensor data (Microsoft Band) and search engine logs from 32,000 users over 3 months.
- Identified Pokémon Go players via search queries.
- Measured physical activity using accelerometers.
Main Results:
- Pokémon Go increased daily steps by an average of 1473 for engaged users (over 25% increase).
- Estimated 144 billion steps added to US physical activity in the study period.
- Successfully increased activity across diverse demographics and reached previously inactive populations.
Conclusions:
- Mobile games blending gameplay with physical activity drive short-term increases in activity.
- These games can effectively reach populations with low activity levels, unlike many health apps.
- Further research is needed on long-term effects.
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