Augmented Reality Games as a New Class of Physical Activity Interventions? The Impact of Pokémon Go Use and Gaming Intensity on Physical Activity

Ni, Michael Y.; Hui, Rex W H; Li, Tom K.; Tam, Anna H M; Choy, L Y Lois; Kitty, K W; Cheung, Felix; Leung, Gabriel M.

doi:10.1089/g4h.2017.0181

Cited by 30 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Although this study recruited a large national sample, it involved participants using only an iPhone 6. Another study [13] found similar results of increased walking distance during the first week of playing PG, but no difference in the activity levels beyond the first week of playing. this study utilized iPhones to track walking distance and had a control group.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Pokémon Go did not increase step count or distance travelled among college students

Schade¹,

Mahoney²,

Spotts³

et al. 2020

Hum Mov.

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Purpose. Physical inactivity is a well-known problem in the United States, especially among the younger population. Pokémon Go (PG) is a mobile game that has players catch Pokémon while walking in the real world. the purpose of this study was to assess the effect of playing PG on student physical activity. Methods. Overall, 27 healthy undergraduate students participated in a 2-week study. they were randomly assigned to either PG-playing group or control group. Fitbit Charge HR devices were deployed for 2 weeks to all participants. the daily number of steps and distance travelled were recorded and the groups were compared by using the bootstrapped t-test. Results. No statistically significant difference in means was observed when comparing the average daily step count (p = 0.845) or the average daily distance travelled (p = 0.528) between control and PG-playing participants. Furthermore, the mean difference was close to 0 for each comparison, with 95% confidence intervals of-2072 to 2438 steps and-0.609 to 1.31 km, respectively. Conclusions. PG did not lead to a statistically observable increase in the number of steps or distance travelled by university students. these results may provide an impetus to create alternative interventions with better user engagement by applying mobile health apps with the intent to reach low-activity populations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Pokémon Go did not increase step count or distance travelled among college students

Schade¹,

Mahoney²,

Spotts³

et al. 2020

Hum Mov.

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show abstract

“…Given the substantial health care costs of self-harm, it is imperative to address and attempt to alleviate psychosocial difficulties before individuals harm themselves. Although Pokémon Go has been studied in outdoor settings for physical activity outcomes [26,27,30,34,35], there has been limited research on the effects of Pokémon Go on mental health (in particular, on its potential as a tool for the prevention of mental health disorders). Pokémon Go may lead to decreases in the frequency of self-harm by encouraging behaviors that improve mental health; however, no prior research has tested this hypothesis.…”

Section: Principal Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The opportunity to engage casually with others in public has been found to mitigate feelings of loneliness because of an increased sense of belonging in the community [33]. Previous studies [30,34,35] focus on individual-level changes in physical activity, and little is known about the influences of Pokémon Go at the population level especially in Hong Kong where population is large but public spaces are limited; therefore, we carried out a quasi-experimental evaluation to examine any changes in the incidences of self-harm and other injury and noninjury events in Hong Kong after the launch of Pokémon Go.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Pokémon Go on Self-Harm Using Population-Based Interrupted Time-Series Analysis: Quasi-Experimental Study

Wong

Tung

et al. 2020

JMIR Serious Games

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Background Pokémon Go is a very popular location-based augmented reality game with widespread influences over the world. An emerging body of research demonstrates that playing Pokémon Go can lead to improvements in physical activity and psychosocial well-being; however, whether Pokémon Go reduces self-harm incidence at the population-level is still questionable. Objective This study aimed to quantify how the launch of Pokémon Go in Hong Kong affected the incidence of self-harm using a quasi-experimental design. Methods An interrupted time-series design with Poisson segmented regression adjusted for time and seasonality trends was used on data from 2012 to 2018 to detect any changes in the number of accident and emergency attendances due to self-harm, after Pokémon Go was launched. The findings were validated using a baseline control period and using other intentional injuries and minor noninjuries as control outcomes. We also assessed intervention effects by age group. Results From January 1, 2012 to July 31, 2018, there were 13,463 accident and emergency attendances due to self-harm in Hong Kong. During the period after launching Pokémon Go, self-harm attendances dropped by 34% (adjusted incidence rate ratio: 0.66, 95% CI 0.61-0.73). When analyzed by age group, a reduction in self-harm incidence was only apparent in adults (18 to 24 years of age: adjusted incidence rate ratio: 0.78, P=.02; 25 to 39 years of age: adjusted incidence rate ratio: 0.75, P<.001; 40 years of age and older: adjusted incidence rate ratio: 0.57, P<.001). Conclusions Self-harm incidence in the population, particularly in adults, showed a significant decline in the period after Pokémon Go was launched. Augmented reality games such as Pokémon Go show great promise as a tool to enhance psychosocial well-being and improve mental health.

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“…There has been some public interest in a recent active videogame, Pokémon Go, an augmented reality game (i.e., fictitious elements superimposed on video images of the real world using smartphones) 58 . Pokémon Go substantially increased PA 59 among players for up to 1 week after they started playing the game. In 2 different studies, 60 enjoyment of playing Pokémon Go was a primary predictor of PA.…”

Section: What Might Be Done To Increase Chinese Children's Level Of Pa?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing physical activity among children and adolescents: Innovative ideas needed

Baranowski

2019

Journal of Sport and Health Science

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Augmented Reality Games as a New Class of Physical Activity Interventions? The Impact of Pokémon Go Use and Gaming Intensity on Physical Activity

Abstract: In this pilot study, Pokémon Go was associated with a transient increase in physical activity in the first week. Augmented reality games need to demonstrate a sustained positive health impact to be promoted as a new class of physical activity interventions.

Cited by 30 publications

References 39 publications

Pokémon Go did not increase step count or distance travelled among college students

Pokémon Go did not increase step count or distance travelled among college students

Effect of Pokémon Go on Self-Harm Using Population-Based Interrupted Time-Series Analysis: Quasi-Experimental Study

Increasing physical activity among children and adolescents: Innovative ideas needed

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