Pokémon Go Is Getting People Moving!

Pokémon Go is the latest gaming craze, being realeased two weeks ago in the USA, and it turns out that there's a side effect to joining the ranks of the millions now addicted to catching Pokémon: better health. There has been a flurry of mentions on social media linking Pokémon Go to fitness. Before I get into that, you need to know what this mobile game is all about.

In a nutshell, Pokémon Go is a free-to-play location-based augmented reality mobile game. The game allows players to capture, battle, and train virtual creatures, called Pokémon, who appear on device screens as though in the real world. It makes use of GPS and the camera of compatible devices (iOS and Android devices). The game is free-to-play, although it supports in-app purchases of additional gameplay items.

After logging into the app for the first time, the player creates their avatar. The player can choose the avatar's gender, hair, skin, and eye color, and choose from a limited number of outfits. As players travel the real world, their avatar moves along the game's map. Different Pokémon species reside in different areas of the world. Players in Pokémon Go do not battle wild Pokémon to capture them. During an encounter with a wild Pokémon, the player may throw a Poké Ball at it by flicking it from the bottom of the screen up toward the Pokémon. If the Pokémon is successfully caught, it will come under the ownership of the player. Players earn experience points for various in-game activities. Players rise in level as they earn experience points. The game has become the fastest game to top the App Store and Google Play. One week ago, the game became the most active mobile game in the United States ever with 21 million active users.

Pokémon Go requires players to walk around to experience the game. As a result, many players are saying that they are walking a lot more in their day. The Pokémon Go app currently awards users a "Jogger" medal once they've walked at least 10 kilometers (roughly 6.2 miles), and the company already has a history with activity trackers in the form of the Pokéwalker, a pedometer released in Japan in 2009. However, despite the buzz around the game's exercise benefits, no plans for a Nintendo fitness tracker associated with the game have been announced. In the meantime, Pokémon Go players are burning calories while capturing Pokémon.

Last week, a survey was conducted of 750 Pokemon Go players across the United States. The results show that players are spending about two more hours outside per day than they were before they started the game, and 43 percent of respondents reported losing weight -- about three pounds on average.

The survey also shows that while getting more activity, players are also taking some health risks. Some 4 percent of players surveyed were pulled over for playing Pokemon Go while driving and 85 percent played the game while driving a car. Also, some 16 percent of survey respondents reported playing more than four hours a day!

Unfortunately, there have also been reports of players being injured due to not paying attention to their surroundings while walking and/or running around trying to capture Pokémon. It's true that the game has millions of people moving, but as the notice on the game reads: "Remember to be alert at all times. Stay aware of your surroundings."

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past