BACKGROUND
Pokémon GO illuminated the potential for mobile gaming apps to engage users and promote health. However, much work is needed to fully understand mechanisms through which digitally supported behavior change intervention operate, particularly for children and families.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of the current study was to explore the user-experience and changes in physical activity since playing Pokémon GO from a family perspective and within the greater context of family health. Specifically, factors related to engagement, user trends over time, and health were examined from the perspective of parents, adult caregivers, and children/teen Pokémon GO players.
METHODS
In January-February 2017, congruent with one of the largest anticipated Pokémon GO updates “Gen 2,” a retrospective pre-post design was used to investigate changes in physical activity in parents and adult caregivers since playing Pokémon GO. Additional descriptive data was collected via a survey that incorporated both closed and open-ended questions from parents and adult caregivers who were impacted by a child/teen that played Pokémon GO. Children/teens who played Pokémon GO were also invited to participate.
RESULTS
Self-reported data from 160 adults and 31 children were included in the final analyses (representing 129 adults and 31 parent-child dyads). Gameplay most often occurred between mothers and sons ≤10 years old. “Spending time together” was the most cited reason for gameplay by both adults (76.3%) and children (77.4%), followed by “it helped me go outdoors” (70.1%) for adults and “I am a Pokémon fan” (67.7%) by children. Playing Pokémon GO also helped to satisfy the top three identified family goals: having fun, spending more time/quality time with child, and exercising more. Unique to this population, open-ended responses indicated child gameplay could trigger both positive and negative emotional parent response. Boredom was the most cited reason for app disengagement, while in-app events most contributed to reengagement. For adults, there were significant increases in minutes spent in mild (M=23.36, SD = 66.02; t(97)=3.50, P=.001) and moderate (M=21.76, SD 53.04; t(130)=4.70, P=.000) physical activity per week after playing Pokémon GO. However, dyadic data indicated that child perceptions of parental influence on physical activity most significantly associated with parents who reported weekly strenuous physical activity both before (rs =.514, P=.003) and after (rs =.536, P=.003) Pokémon GO uptake.
CONCLUSIONS
Pokémon GO transcended traditional understanding of digital health and uniquely reached across generations to engage users. Findings from this study highlight that, for a period of time, Pokémon GO fostered social and physical well-being for children and families through a multifaceted approach.
Location-based Games as Exergames - From Pokémon To The Wizarding World
