• Michael Y Ni, Rex W H Hui, Tom K Li, Anna H M Tam, Lois L Y Choy, Kitty K W Ma, Felix Cheung, and Gabriel M Leung.
• 1 School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
• Games Health J. 2019 Feb 1; 8 (1): 1-6.

ObjectiveTo assess the health impact of augmented reality games by examining the association between Pokémon Go and physical activity among university students.Materials And MethodsThis 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 Pokémon Go (Niantic, Inc., San Francisco, CA).ResultsTwenty-four (36.9%) medical students were active Pokémon Go players. When compared with nonplayers, Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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).ConclusionsIn this pilot study, Pokémon 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.

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