Does it Promote Physical Activity? College Students' Perceptions of Pokémon Go

Zi Yan; Kevin Finn; Kayla Breton

Zi Yan¹, Kevin Finn¹, Kayla Breton¹

¹Merrimack College, School of Health Sciences, North Andover, MA, United States

Does it Promote Physical Activity? College Students' Perceptions of Pokémon Go

Monten. J. Sports Sci. Med. 2020, 9(1), 5-10 | DOI: 10.26773/mjssm.200301

Abstract

The present study examined whether physical activity participation between Pokémon GO users was different from that of non-users. Participants’ perceptions of the game in terms of promoting physical activity were also evaluated. A total of 393 college students (Female=175, age M=19.03, SD=2.04) took an online survey that measured user activity, perceptions on the game, and recalled physical activity participation. The participants were classified as non-users (n=227, 79.1%), non-active users (i.e., playing less than 30 min a day, n=24, 8.4%), and active-users (i.e., playing more than 30 min a day, n=36, 12.5%). Most users agreed that playing the game had a positive impact on their physical activity level. However, the non-active users and the active-users walked significantly less than the non-users did, and the non-users also had higher overall physical activity participation levels. Most Pokémon GO players perceived that the app made them more physically active, although they still walked less than non-players did. There may be pre-existing differences in the physical activity patterns between the users and the non-users. Health promotion professionals may encourage sedentary individuals to use this game to promote physical activity.

Keywords

college student, exergaming, physical activity, Pokémon GO

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