Effects of Playing Pokemon Go on Physical Activity

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of playing Pokémon Go to increase daily steps among young adults. The study also aimed to assess people's experience playing the game, identify specific features of the game that users like/dislike, and explore game features that may promote overall well-being.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Physical Activity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: No Play; Behavioral: At Will Play; Behavioral: Goal Oriented Play

Detailed Description

Study participants were 30 undergraduate students from a State university in California who were 18 years or older, enrolled full-time, non-Pokémon Go players, and were able to walk leisurely. Daily steps were measured for 6 consecutive weeks via the Fitbit Flex 2. Habitual activity was first measured during the first two-weeks. After the 2-week baseline assessment of physical activity and GPS travel patterns, participants were randomized to one of three study conditions for the remaining 4 weeks: (1) "No Play," (2) "Play At Will," or (3) "Goal Oriented Play". The 4-week intervention period was followed by a post-study interview completed within one week from the end of the intervention period.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • San Diego, California, United States, 92123
      • Institute for Behavioral and Community Health

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 25 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Enrolled as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student at participating University
• Willingness to be randomized to one of the three study conditions
• Never played or a Novice Player of Pokemon Go (Cannot have previously exceeded Level 5)
• Not currently meeting physical activity guidelines for adults (i.e., 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and/or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity). Assessed via the GPAQ questionnaire.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Unable to leisurely walk for 30 minutes consecutively

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: No Play; This 'no play' group functioned as the control group.	Behavioral: No Play; Participants in this group were asked not to download or play Pokémon Go during the study period and were asked to simply continue with their normal daily activities. Participants were asked to wear the Fitbit device and use the GPS app on their mobile phones during the 6-week study period. Starting the fifth week, participants were prompted to complete five (5) brief daily surveys on their phones via the EMA app.
Experimental: At Will Play; This group functioned as 1 of the 2 play groups.	Behavioral: At Will Play; Participants in this group were asked to download Pokémon Go and play for at least 30 minutes initially, then play as much or as little as desired during the 4 week intervention period, with no specific instruction or goals for play. Participants were asked to wear the Fitbit device and use the GPS app on their mobile phones during the 6-week study period. Starting the fifth week, participants were prompted to complete five (5) brief daily surveys on their phones via the EMA app.
Experimental: Goal Oriented Play; This group functioned as 1 of the 2 play groups.	Behavioral: Goal Oriented Play; Participants in this group were asked to download and play Pokémon Go and achieve a minimum player level of 20 within the game during the study period. They were given materials that described game features and functions to show them how to play the game. There were no restrictions on which features to pursue within the game to achieve this goal nor on how long or how frequent their play sessions should be. Upon reaching their goal (Level 20), participants were encouraged to continue to play as much or as little as they desired. Participants were asked to wear the Fitbit device and use the GPS app on their mobile phones during the 6-week study period. Starting the fifth week, participants were prompted to complete five (5) brief daily surveys on their phones via the EMA app.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Steps per day	Steps per day measured via the Fitbit	Six weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: San Diego State University
• Collaborators: University of Southern California

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 26, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 22, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): March 31, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 27, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 27, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): November 29, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 29, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 27, 2018
• Last Verified: November 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Physical Activity; Mobile Games
• Other Study ID Numbers: HS-2017-0235

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No