Pokemon Go workout
Game turning players into exercisers
Amid the news of injuries suffered by Pokemon Go gamers looking at their phone instead of where they’re going, there’s been very little coverage of the plus side of game play: Pokemon Go addicts are working up a sweat.
The virtual scavenger hunt that’s been gaining users by the millions has been reaping accolades from fitness advocates for its ability to get gamers, known for their sedentary habits, into the fresh air.
It’s not just the added exercise that has health experts so pleased. Gamers are having face-to-face interactions rather than communicating as part of a virtual community. Parks and public spaces have welcomed an influx of Pokemon Go lovers gathering and exchanging game tips, interaction that — when combined with exercise — has the potential to make healthier communities.
Even the language of Pokemon Go suggests it wouldn’t be out of place in most fitness centres. Players searching for Pokemon are called Trainers who find the virtual creatures in PokeStops located in parks, public spaces and around buildings and monuments in cities all over the globe. Once found, the Pokemon battle it out in Gyms.
The really interesting aspect of Pokemon Go is the amount of movement required. It takes two kilometres of walking before a Pokemon Egg hatches, with some of the rarer eggs requiring up to 10 km of walking before the Pokemon breaks free of its shell. And there are no shortcuts to creating new hatchlings, which don’t respond to car travel. Plain old healthy walking is the only way to add another Pokemon to your game.
What do the experts say about a game that has the screen-addicted crowd pulling on running shoes and heading out into the fresh air?
“Playing the game is a lot of fun, and it has been a catalyst to get people moving,” said Matt Hoffman, assistant professor at Texas A&M college of nursing, in a Science Daily article.
Hoffman also credits Pokemon Go for encouraging families to exercise together. “I have seen families walking around playing the game together,” Hoffman said.