Dr Margaret McCartney, said: “We never hear about the things that didn’t happen: the heart attacks prevented through more exercise, or the vitamin D deficiency that geeks have avoided, blinking in the sunlight while catching a Pikachu monster.
“The possibilities for apps to make the streets an active, reclaimed playground in which to have interconnected fun are boundless. Increased physical activity is a tantalising side effect. Game on.”
The game has been linked to helping solve the obesity epidemic with one UK player said to have walked 225km and losing two stone as a result. The BMJ columnist also notes it could help ease the Type 2 diabetes burden based on previous research on walking and standing.
Pokemon Go is a mobile game that encourages players to catch Pokemon in real life surroundings through the use of Augmented Reality. In order to catch Pokemon players must walk to find them.