Go and be happy

Pokémon Go players positive, active, UW research finds

New research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests not only are Pokémon Go players walking more, they’re happy people.

When the popular mobile game was released last July, researchers across the country immediately hopped on to study its effects on millions of users taking to sidewalks and parks to pursue virtual Pokémon creatures they could “capture” and train to do battle against each other.

While most research to date has focused on boosts in activity levels among Pokémon Go users, media researchers at UW-Madison studied the augmented reality game’s psychological effects.

Their work, newly published in the journal Media Psychology, suggests Pokémon Go users are more likely to be positive, friendly and physically active — or at least they were in the game’s first few weeks. The researchers did not follow users over a period of time.

The findings are based on a survey of about 400 people three weeks after the game was launched. The UW-Madison researchers asked questions about the respondents’ emotional and social lives and level of activity before Pokémon Go.

More than 40% of the respondents turned out to be Pokémon Go players. They were more likely to be exercising — walking briskly, at least — and more likely to be experiencing positive emotions and nostalgia, according to the researchers.

James Alex Bonus, a UW-Madison graduate student studying educational media, joined those playing the game to evaluate its effects. Fellow researchers involved in this study included grad student collaborators Alanna Pebbles, grad student Irene Sarmiento and communication arts professor Marie-Louise Mares.

“There was plenty of negative press about distracted people trespassing and running into trees or walking into the street,” Bonus said in a news release from the university. “But you also saw people really enjoying it, having a good time together outside.”

Pokémon Go creator Niantic now claims 65 million regular users and more than 650 million app downloads.

JOURNAL SENTINEL FILES Spencer Stratton (left) and Shane Flynn walk through Pere Marquette Park while using the Pokemon Go app on their cellphones last summer. UW research suggests they are happy people.