Pokémon Go: Exercise or Video Game?

Pokémon Go: Exercise or Video Game?

By now I am sure that you have heard about – and probably even seen people playing – the wildly popular new app, Pokémon Go. With tens of millions of downloads in the US alone, the app is reportedly earning $5 million per day, and that is just on micro transactions (in-app purchases). Not bad, for a free app.

The opinions about Pokémon Go are split. While some love the app, others see it as “the fall of mankind.” Children and adults, walking around, attempting to capture imaginary creatures on their mobile devices. There have been reports of people walking into retention ponds and even into the street. In fact, I read one recent report of a girl being hit by a moving vehicle when she walked into the road while playing the game.

While I think that we can all agree that it is concerning that a game can garner so much attention and focus. Having played the game for the past week, I will admit that there are many addictive qualities to it. In fact, as I sit here writing this blog post, my app is open, monitoring my surroundings, just in case a Pokémon shows up. However, I will also admit that I have not yet walked into a retention pond or unknowingly wandered into the street.

So perhaps we can also agree that many of these accidents are not caused by the game. Rather, they are a manifestation of some form of obsessive behavior exhibited by the player.

But the purpose of this blog is not to talk about the game directly – though we could discuss the joys and frustrations for some time. Instead, I would like to talk about the amazing positive impact this game – and others like it – could have on children’s health. Of course getting hit by a car is not good for your health, but there are some trends that seem to be growing and suggest that we may turn a corner.

Near the end of last week, I was at work and my wife and kids were at home. As is customary, I texted my wife to see how things were going during one of my breaks between patients. I asked her how the kids were doing, and to my surprise, she said that they had gone for a walk to find Pokémon! Now, this was the middle of a Florida summer day. It had to be in the mid-90s outside, and they went for a walk OUTSIDE!!

And my kids are not the only ones affected. This past weekend I went for several walks with my daughter and son, and everywhere we went, there were other children and teens, walking around outside. Now, sure they were looking at their cell phones. But they were walking outside! While I will try not to exaggerate too much, I will say that I have seen more kids outside over the past week than I have all summer long.

What’s more, most of these kids are not alone. Yeah… They are walking around with other kids. It is almost like they are hanging out with friends and exercising.

Ingeniously, the designers of Pokémon Go built in the need to walk. For example, and for those of you who do not know, there are eggs that you can collect at various Pokéstops (places where you can get free supplies). But to hatch those eggs (which contain various Pokémon), you must incubate them by walking anywhere from two to five kilometers. And the app knows if you travel that distance by walking (which counts) or by riding in a car (which does not count).

Although I am sure someone has (or will) figure out a way around that detail, most players will have to get out and walk around in order to find more Pokémon and incubate the eggs.

Living in a culture that is currently characterized by obesity and unhealthy lifestyles, I have to say that I would gladly offer my kids video game time when it results in exercise.

In our book (Handbook for Raising an Emotionally Health Child Part 1: Behavior Management) and our online parenting course (Parenting Your ADHD Child) we talk about the pros and cons of video games. As we mention specifically, designers of many video game systems – such as Wii and X-Box Kinect – have worked to incorporate movement and activity into their game play.

Pokémon Go is hopefully the first in a new generation of games that incorporate physical activity and electronics. Sure we have to continue to monitor our kids’ (and our own) play time. But my daughter and I walked for an hour and a half yesterday evening, talking and looking for Pokémon. If that is a consequence of this game, I’ll take it.