Pokemon Go brings a game into the real world. It started as a game on Game Boy, became a tv show, expanded to the real world with trading cards. Now you can walk outside your house and catch a pokemon in your backyard. It is a game of collection, where an individual collects Pokemon (pocket monsters) that they can evolve and battle to become more powerful. It’s sort of like geocaching but with fictional species that many people are nostalgic about. Because of this, you can walk around Main Street Newmarket on a weeknight and see more people out and about then ever before. At the intersection of Main and Park you can see between 50-100 people standing and sitting around, chatting with each other, and on their phones. Is this phenomenon good? Bad? Or somewhere in between? Let’s take a look at a few potential benefits and downsides:
Pros
- It gets people out of the house. take
- It gets people moving. Your player levels up with movement (speeds over 20km/hr don’t count as you’re most likely in a car), and you can hatch eggs by walking a certain distance (up to 10km!).
- It’s fun – there is a sense of reward when successfully catching and collecting pokemon, especially those that are higher levels. There is also a sense of excitement as you never know what might appear around the next corner. The creators have certainly done their homework when it comes to reward loops and keeping players interested.
- It is social – having something fun and in common allows many people to overcome social anxiety as well as have a quick and easy conversation starter.
Cons
- You’re on your phone – although out of the house you’re still looking at your phone. This often includes the typical posture of hunched shoulders and upper back with your head down, increasing your chances of posture related injuries such as “text neck”.
- Distracted by your phone – there have been incidents of players walking into traffic or other dangerous situations because they were not paying attention to their environment.
- Data – Without a sizable data plan on your phone some players may be stuck walking from Wifi to Wifi before long – be careful not to exceed your plan’s data limit.
- You may look or feel a bit ridiculous pacing back and forth on the sidewalk trying to locate a Pokemon that appears on your “nearby” list. Not to worry as most people out and about these days can probably relate!
Tip 1 & 2 → hold your phone higher & sit/stand taller: this will help you keep a more neutral and upright posture so as to reduce the strain on your neck, upper back, and shoulders. Holding your phone higher will also result in increased peripheral vision of your environment.
Tip 3 → Take frequent breaks: this will help give your muscles a break from holding one position. Holding any position for a sustained period of time can result in pain from strains and sprains. You can also use breaks to increase awareness of your environment for safety purposes.
Check out these other interesting articles related to the Pokemon Go phenomenon:
The Best and Worst Pokemon Go Stories
The Psychological Pros and Cons of Pokemon Go
Pokemon Go Players Shot at with Pellet Gun in Newmarket