Hannes Pasanen: Moving for Pokémon - Physical activity through digital gaming - Example: Pokémon GO master's thesis. In many cases, all digital games are considered the same as if they do not have elements of physical activity. In this study, these games are only games that use physical elements or are controlled by physical activity.
In general, what are the possibilities of active digital games for the physical activity of the players. What is the impact of playing Pokémon GO on players' physical activity. What is the impact of active and prolonged Pokémon GO play on the player's physical activity outside of gameplay.
Answering these questions provides insight into the potential of digital games to increase players' physical activity. The hypothesis is that active gaming of digital games with physical elements is clearly related to actual increase in players' physical activity.
Possibilities active video games in promoting physical activity
In some games, the intensity of physical activity is completely up to the player, such as in Pokémon GO. Active off-the-shelf video games can have an impact on physical activity levels and reduce players' sedentary time. Playing active video games primarily increases light-to-moderate physical activity compared to moderate-intensity walking.
Playing games that encourage physical activity has the potential to promote a more active lifestyle in general. In the narrative group there was a significant increase in movement and consistency of physical activity. This engaging narrative may have an effect of increasing physical activity during the game and more lasting effects on the players' future activity.
For example, as mentioned in the last section, in Pokémon GO the nostalgia of the game world brings motivation to the players, and this motivation is greater than the physical activity requirements of the game. In Pokémon GO, these rewards are often associated with physical activity and the real world.
Gamification and Serious games
These in-game rewards can be used to access more content, progress in different aspects of the game, and interact with other players. Serious games also have purpose not only for the player of the game, but also for the side that uses it to further the above purposes for the player. Teachers, trainers and health professionals may be interested in using serious games for the benefit of the player.
Games have intrinsic motivating and inspiring elements that through gamification are used in other systems to increase the interest, motivation and engagement of the recipient. Movement can be the main part of the game based on the location or through the control of the game by means of the motion control device or body movement tracking (Rowland et al., 2016). Many of these projects have been experiments and research projects about the possibilities of the method.
This meta-analysis indicates that active video game interventions were effective in improving balance and mobility in older participants. Some of the inactivity problems referenced in this essay are based on people using their electronic devices too much for entertainment.
Case Study: Pokémon GO
19 additions rely on the location-based nature of the game and provide more incentives to be active and move. A study says that starting to play Pokémon GO resulted in a significant increase in physical activity for the game's players. A further result was that the increase in physical activity was particularly strong when the participant in the study had been physically less active (Ma et al., 2018).
In short, the results of the study showed that the increase in physical activity that the participants experienced when actively playing Pokémon GO was significant. The review also finds that, in many cases, the novelty of the game wears off rather quickly, and the activity level drops in line with the decreasing gameplay. This happens to most of the players, but still some continue to play (Khamzina et al., 2020).
2016) suggest in their respective study that the influence of Pokémon GO on the physical activity levels of the players was short-lived and moderate. This directly contributes to the light physically and reduces the sedentary time, which is one of the beneficial impacts of the game (Barkley et al., 2017). The most interesting finding of the teams' study regarding this thesis is that the physical activity and outdoor dimension of the game stood out as a motivational factor for both Intention to Reuse and In-App Purchase Intention.
So the location-based nature of Pokémon GO is one of the main motivating factors for people playing it. A large number of participants provides the opportunity to investigate whether the game of Pokémon GO may have significant associations with increased physical activity of players. This is quite a long period where possible changes in the behavior and lifestyle of the players could have occurred.
The population of the study can be determined by these questions and by the communities in which the questionnaire is placed. After these first basic questions, there are five questions that delve deeper into the physical activity of the players. These questions focus on how and why the players are physically active while playing and whether playing the game has increased their overall physical activity or physical activity outside of the game.
Study population
22 The questionnaire consists of basic questions, which include age, how long the person has played the game, how often the person has played the game and whether the person has had a significant break in the game.
Variables
Description of the analysis
Research ethics
Thus, most participants started playing the game within the first months after its launch. These elements are also the ones that require the most physical activity. 24% of the 1,460 valid participants reported that their physical activity increased outside of game play as a result of playing Pokémon GO.
This graph shows the ways in which participants' self-reported physical activity increased outside of gaming. In the case of Pokémon GO, players' physical activity increases significantly according to the studies cited in this document. The respondents to the questionnaire are members of various Pokémon GO pages on the social media platform Facebook.
However, the interesting question is, does the active and prolonged playing of the game have an impact on the physical activity of the players. 68% of participants report that playing the game increased their physical activity and 24% report that it increased their physical activity even outside of the game. In graphs 6 and 7, the analysis of the results shows possible impacts on the physical activity outside the game of Pokémon GO.
The game period (graph 6) does not seem to have any positive or negative impact on the physical activity of the participants. About a quarter of participants report that playing the game has had an impact on their physical activity. First, there is an abundance of articles that have studied the effects of Pokémon GO on players' physical activity levels.
Pokémon GO is the focus of this study, and in particular the possible impact of playing the game on players' physical activity. The results of the study show that active Pokémon GO players are indeed more active than before they started playing the game. Most study participants reported an increase in their overall physical activity from pre-game time.
Even physical activity outside of gameplay has been increased by a quarter of players. Using active video games to promote physical activity: A systematic review of the current state of research.
Appendix 1 - Questionnaire (original)
Onko Pokémon GO:n pelaaminen tehnyt sinusta enemmän fyysistä aktiivisuutta (kävely, juoksu, pyöräily, kuntosali, ryhmäharjoitukset jne.) pelin ulkopuolella? Liikkuminen Adventure Sync -ominaisuuden kanssa ei sisälly).
Appendix 2 - Questionnaire (translated to English)
Do you exercise (walking, running, cycling) SPECIALLY (in addition to your normal mobility) to do the following things in Pokémon GO. How often do you train (walking, running, cycling) SPECIALLY to do the things from the previous question in Pokémon GO. Has playing Pokémon GO made you more physically active than before you started playing?
Has playing Pokémon GO made you more physically active (walking, running, cycling, gym, group exercises, etc.) outside of the game? Moving with the Adventure Sync feature is not included). If you answered yes to the previous question, choose how you will be activated (select all correct):.
