Pokémon GO has broken records, surpassing Tinder and Twitter in its first weeks of launch. While during its first days, the game made headlines due to the dangers of players walking distracted through the streets, exposing themselves to robberies, kidnappings, and assaults; users and experts assure that it also has great benefits, such as stimulating socialization for adults and children, and providing small lessons in mathematics, history, or physical activity, in addition to improving the symptoms of people suffering from mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, and autism.
Preamble
Psychologist John M. Grohol reported that many people express on social media that they feel an unexpected improvement in their symptoms of depression and anxiety as a result of playing, as the game is motivating users to leave their homes, which, when suffering from depression and anxiety, is a real struggle: “For a person suffering from depression or another mood disorder, the idea of exercising can be impossible to consider, much less to perform… and for someone with social anxiety, the idea of leaving their home and perhaps running into someone is terrifying. However, this game encourages people to go outside their homes, to explore their neighborhood to find and capture Pokémon which, ultimately, could be like a reward for leaving their homes. This is clear evidence of an unintentional but beneficial consequence of producing a game that encourages exercise” and contact with nature.
Repercussions
On the other hand, Pokémon Go has allowed, through various global media outlets, to learn about the case of Ralph, the child with autism who, since he started playing Pokémon Go, has improved in relation to the disorder because, according to his mother, he started playing with other children his age using the app as an excuse: “Ralph went out into the street excited after capturing the first Pokémon. A child, guessing what he was playing, approached to talk to him. He asked Ralphie how many he had caught. Ralph didn’t answer immediately, he just yelled POKÉMON!!! They high-fived and I almost cried.”
Benefits
Craig Smith, professor and autism expert, has developed a theory on his blog explaining the potential of this app for children suffering from this condition. He states that the game can help children much more than meets the eye, also in the academic field, in aspects such as:
– Geolocation and mathematics: As a GPS-based game, Pokémon Go allows children and young people to learn concepts of space and time, such as cardinal points, distance, direction, coordinates, maps, or satellites. Also concepts like counting or comparing Pokémon, and making transactions with the virtual currency “pokécoins”.
– History: Many of the “pokéstops” or “gyms” are located in historical or culturally relevant places: churches, museums, monuments, universities, and even cemeteries. In fact, one of the game’s purposes is for them to get to know their surroundings.
– Physical activity: Studies indicate that American children gain weight during summer vacation two to three times faster than during the school year, due to reduced physical activity. With this game, children are motivated to go out and do physical exercise and, with it, improve their overall quality of life.
Finally, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Michigan has also seen the app’s ability to motivate hospitalized children to get out of bed. They have added “pokéstops” within the game inside the building, as many children cannot go outside, and thus interact with other patients and hospital staff.