Impact of Pokemon Go on Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Context: Pokemon Go is a popular mobile augmented reality game that requires players to travel to different locations to capture virtual characters. This study systematically reviews and quantifies Pokemon Go in relation to physical activity engagement among players. Evidence acquisition: A keyword search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library for articles published between July 2016 and October 2018. Meta-analysis was performed to estimate the pooled effect of playing Pokemon Go on physical activity outcome. Evidence synthesis: From the keyword search, 17 studies (16 observational and 1 pre-post) were identified, with a total sample of 33,108 participants. A comparison between Pokemon Go players and nonplayers and between pre- and post-play time points revealed an increase in walking duration, distance walked, and number of steps/day. Pokemon Go players were also found to engage in less sedentary behavior. Playing Pokemon Go was associated with an increase in the number of steps per day by 1,446 steps (95% CI=953, 1,939; I-2=81%). Conclusions: Playing Pokemon Go was associated with a statistically significant but clinically modest increase in the number of daily steps taken among game players. One challenge for future physical activity interventions using Pokemon Go is to retain active engagement once the initial novelty wears off. Additional studies with longer follow-up periods and experimental study design are needed to assess to what extent Pokemon Go and other augmented reality games can be used to promote physical activity at the population level for a sustained time period. (C) 2019 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.