Pokemon Go is an innovative take on a pop cultural hit animation series and mobile gaming applications. It provides challenges and motivates gamers to get out of the house. One of the things that made Pokemon Go so captivating was the potential health benefits associated with playing the game.
Initial research of how the game could be healthy for gamers painted an optimistic look at the future of gaming. However, a recent study published in the British Medical Journal suggests the exercise benefits did not last.
Researchers examined 1,000 people between the ages of 18 to 35 last summer and monitored their physical activity for six weeks. The initial results of the study were probing. However, following the first week, the physical activity began to fall off.
Jean-Philippe Chaput, a research scientist at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, explained to CBS that Pokemon Go’s benefits are similar to many exercise trends.
“So yes, it worked for the first week, but then after a month and a half, people were not walking more or moving more,” Chaput explained.
“I think people look for a quick fix, so … they can lose weight quickly. We know that we have a lot of different kinds of diets and they don’t work.”
Chaput added, “So it means that [Pokemon Go] fits with all of the other physical programs — it works over the short term, but even after a month and a half it doesn’t work well … we can say that Pokemon Go is a fad as well.”
That said, that’s not to say that there are not health benefits to playing Pokemon Go. It is similar to any workout, it all about consistency.