A lot going for it — if you don’t know
Game’s benefits wide-ranging
PLAYING Pokémon Go regularly could add an extra 41 days to an average player’s life, according to a recent study.
Despite concerns that it could be a health hazard, given the injuries it has led to, such as people walking into dangerous areas, research suggests the game could “measurably affect US life expectancy”.
The health benefits of the app, which encourages gamers to hunt Pokémon in real life by exploring their environment, have been lauded since its launch earlier this year. But now researchers at Stanford University and Microsoft have quantified the benefits.
The study found that engaged Pokémon Go players walked an extra 1 473 steps a day, roughly 25% more activity, while playing the augmented reality game. For people aged 15 to 49, an extra 1 000 steps a day could amount to 41.4 additional days of life expectancy, say the researchers.
“Across the 25 million US Pokémon Go users, this would translate to 2.85 million years’ additional life added to US users,” the study said.
After tracking the activity of almost 32 000 Pokémon Go users for three months using the Microsoft Band’s accelerometer and gyrometer, the researchers found that the game “significantly increased” levels of physical activity.
In particular, it has health benefits for people who aren’t traditionally that active.
“These increases are not restricted to already active and healthy individuals, but also reach individuals with low prior activity levels, and overweight or obese individuals,” it said.
The researchers also found that Pokémon Go was more likely to improve the movement of less-active people than other health apps. When compared with four top-rated, “leading” iOS and Android health apps, which aren’t named, they found the game attracts more users and leads to better results.
“Pokémon Go leads to larger increases in physical activity than other mobile health apps and further attracts more users who are not yet very active,” the study said.
One of the main reasons for this is that it isn’t targeted as an exercise app. Experts have warned that health professionals could diminish its effect if they punt its benefits too much.
“The good thing about Pokémon Go is it is not aimed at people who want to walk, but those who are excited about playing games,” said GP Dr Margaret McCartney, writing in the British Medical Journal earlier this year. “The worst thing that could happen would be for it to be hijacked by the health lobby.”
The health benefits of Pokémon Go are a welcome addition to the “possibilities for apps to make the streets an active, reclaimed playground”, McCartney noted.
“Increased physical activity is a tantalising side effect,” she said. — © The Daily Telegraph, London