Differences in Physical Activity During Walking and Two Pokémon Go Playing Styles

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Human Movement Studies
• Digital Health

Background:

• Two distinct playing styles for Pokémon Go (PG), intermittent and continuous, have been identified.
• The impact of these playing styles on physical activity (PA) volume and patterns, compared to traditional walking, remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how continuous versus intermittent Pokémon Go (PG) playing styles affect physical activity (PA) metrics.
• To compare PA levels during PG play with a traditional walking bout.

Main Methods:

• Twenty experienced PG players completed a 1.77 km loop under two conditions: playing PG and traditional walking.
• Objective measures included pedometers, accelerometers, heart rate monitors, and GPS watches to assess steps, caloric expenditure, intensity, and distance.
• Direct observation recorded the number of stops and playing style (continuous vs. intermittent).

Main Results:

• Traditional walking yielded significantly greater PA than PG play overall.
• Continuous PG play resulted in higher total steps, aerobic steps, caloric expenditure, distance, and moderate-intensity minutes compared to intermittent PG play.
• Intermittent PG play was associated with more sedentary minutes and a greater number of stops.

Conclusions:

• Continuous PG play can provide comparable PA levels to traditional walking.
• Intermittent PG play significantly diminishes PA, highlighting the importance of playing style.
• PG, particularly with a continuous playing style, may serve as a viable strategy to encourage increased participation in physical activity.