5 Years Later - Why Pokémon Go Potential Health Benefits Are Even More Important Now

Pokémon Go was one of the biggest viral phenomena of the latter part of last decade, but maybe it’s biggest positive effect on society was overlooked. Five years ago, something magical happened to the millions of Americans. They took incremental steps to improve their health, while also chasing Charizards and Squirtles (whatever the heck those things are). In 2016, Pokémon Go had 233 million global active users and it was estimated that 19% of those were in the U.S. market. Just to give you a sense of comparison, Pokémon Go had half the monthly active users as Instagram in 2016. Yes, these Americans were addicted to a video game, but they were also subconsciously opting into the newest fitness craze. This potentially makes Pokémon Go the world's most important game for a few reasons that have even bigger potential value today. While Pokémon GO won't suit everyone, the most important outcome is for people to find an activity they enjoy enough to continue doing, so that it improves personal health. Augmented (or virtual) reality location-based smartphone games that infuse fitness still a "huge potential" to be beneficial long-term. If this could be a key in getting Americans in better shape, why haven’t we seen numerous companies harness this unexpected game-meets-fitness and create copycats of Pokémon Go?