Gaming behaviour with Pokémon GO and physical activity: A preliminary study with medical students in Thailand

Abstract

Pokémon GO becomes the most rapidly downloaded mobile application in history. This study aimed to determine the physical activity of medical students, who played Pokémon GO, and the change in their use of Pokémon GO and physical activity over time. An observational study was conducted. Physical activity was measured by using self-administered questionnaires at baseline (phase 0), 1 month (phase 1) and 3 months (phase 2) post-Pokémon GO download. The changes in physical activity (phase 0 to 1 and phase 1 to 2) were analysed using Wilcoxon Signed Ranked test. The trend (3-point analysis) of physical activity from phase 0, 1 to 2 were analysed using Friedman’s test. The relationship between physical activity and time spent gaming was analysed by using Spearman’s rank correlation. Twenty-six participants (mean age 22.04±1.70 years) participated in the study. There was no statistically significant change in physical activity during the three-month period (p = 0.45). Only 11 participants (42.3%) were still playing Pokémon GO 3 months after download. The key reasons for playing game were ‘have fun’ and ‘pass time/boredom’. The most common commuting mode to play the game was walking; some drove a car or motorcycle while playing the game. There was no correlation between physical activity and time spent gaming. This study highlights how the lack of sustainability of the game and the motivation behind using Pokémon GO as a game rather than a physical activity app may have undermined the potential of using the game to improve physical activity. Further studies need to explore the reasons for the lack of sustainability and how to combine fun with behavioural change.

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

“…it utilized self-report surveys of physical activity and revealed that 57.7% of the participants had stopped playing the game after 3 months. it was observed that players utilized the application for fun or as a pastime rather than for fitness purposes [27]. Another study findings were consistent with this in that the players' step intake increased for the first 5 weeks after downloading the application, and then returned to pre-installation levels [12].…”

Public Health Perspectives on eSports

“…Prolonged playing of video games increases the risk of repetitive strain injuries, seizures among persons with epilepsy or photosensitivity, injuries due to distractions from the real world (eg, injuries incurred while using mobile devices), and criminal incidents (eg, injuries incurred while playing games in a dangerous or inappropriate place). [12][13][14] On the professional level, eSports may lead to work-related illnesses, such as occupational overuse syndrome due to repetitive movements, overuse of muscles and inappropriate postures, and computer vision syndrome or video game vision syndrome. 15,16 The public health sector should focus on injury prevention, safety issues, and occupational health of eSports athletes and spectators.…”

Effects of Pokémon GO on Physical Activity and Psychological and Social Outcomes: A Systematic Review

“…In this case, only the parent article was included. Finally, 36 articles [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ] were included for this review.…”

“…In these articles, the indicators of PA included daily step counts, time spent and/or distance travelled in various activities (i.e., walking, biking, running/jogging, and skating), time spent in sedentary, light, moderate-to-vigorous, vigorous PA, energy expenditure, and exercise frequency. In 14 studies [ 25 , 26 , 29 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 , 43 , 45 , 47 , 50 , 52 , 53 ], PA was assessed solely with subjective measures such as the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Eight studies [ 21 , 24 , 28 , 30 , 33 , 35 , 39 , 41 ], incorporated only objective measures to assess participants’ PA such as pedometers, accelerometers, wrist or arm-worn activity sensors, heart rate monitors, and mobile applications, such as the iPhone Health app, step-counting app, and ecological momentary assessment app.…”