Augmented Reality Games As a New Class of Physical Activity Interventions? the Impact of Pokémon Go Use and Gaming Intensity on Physical Activity.

Objective: To assess the health impact of augmented reality games by examining the association between Pokemon Go and physical activity among university students. Materials and Methods: This pilot study included 65 medical students who were iPhone (Apple, Inc., Cupertino, CA) users with the built-in accelerometer and Health app. Main outcome measures were the change in daily walking distance before and after the release of Pokemon Go (Niantic, Inc., San Francisco, CA). Results: Twenty-four (36.9%) medical students were active Pokemon Go players. When compared with nonplayers, Pokemon Go players on average walked 1.5, 1.2, 0.9, and 0.6 km more daily on the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth day of the game, respectively (P < 0.05). Physical activity differences were not detected beyond the first week. Among Pokemon Go players, higher intensity of gaming was associated with increased distance walked 50 days after the release of the game compared to previously (P < 0.001). Conclusions: In this pilot study, Pokemon Go was associated with a transient increase in physical activity in the first week. Augmented reality games need to demonstrate a sustained positive health impact to be promoted as a new class of physical activity interventions.