Released in July 2016, Pokémon Go is a mobile gaming app which employs augmented reality and GPS to allow users to collect Pokémon characters in their real-world setting. The game quickly became a global sensation breaking records including becoming the most-downloaded app in its first month of release; the fastest to earn $100 million.
Since its release it has been downloaded over 800 million times, placing it within the ranks of other iconic mobile gaming apps like Candy Crush and Angry Birds. However, unlike the aforementioned games, Pokémon Go stands out as a mobile app which has also encouraged visible health benefits in its users. Due to the nature of the game, players must replace their sedentary time with physical activity and time otherwise spent indoors with outdoors.
A graph highlighted the immediate success of the mobile game upon its initial release
People playing Pokemon Go in Japan - more than 10 million people in Japan downloaded the app on the first day of its release (Image: New York Times)
The results were unlikely and astounding: the game added a total of 144 billion steps to US physical activity in the first month of its release alone and on average an estimated 25% increase to individual players step count. I think that this success is attributed to the creator’s priority to create a fun and imaginative game – with a rise in global physical activity being an unlikely benefit. After studying the success of Pokémon Go, I realised that it was both unrealistic and unnecessary to completely erase digital devices from children’s lives.