Systematic literature review on health effects of playing Pokémon Go

Abstract

Pokémon Go is one of the most successful mobile games of all time and has motivated its users to become physically active, socialize, and spend more time outdoors. There have been published some systematic literature reviews related to Pokémon Go, but few address health effects beyond the physical health of playing the game. This paper presents the results from a systematic literature review on how the game affects physical, mental, and social health and the players’ motivation for starting, keep on, and stop playing the game. The literature review identified fifty-nine studies related to the topic, which were accepted according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and the critical appraisal. The main conclusion is that Pokémon Go has an apparent positive effect on its player’s physical, mental, and social health, although this effect only lasts as long as the player plays the game. Further, the motivation and motives for playing the game include having a fun and immersive experience, getting physical exercise, social reasons, and nostalgia related to the Pokémon universe. The reasons for why people stopped playing the game included technical challenges, slow progress in the game that required more effort increasingly, and lack of variation and content.