Pokémon Go play is associated with improved social well-being, belonging, and connection, and reduced anxiety about leaving the house¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r3 · q2
Currency · no dated study recorded · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Eleven studies report improved social well-being, belonging, or connection through Pokémon Go, including better connections with peers compared to non-players. → Kurt Squire 2023

Evidence¶

Kurt Squire 2023¶

Kurt Squire, Garrison Wells, Maria J. Anderson-Coto, and Constance Steinkuehler. 2023. Casual Games, Cognition, and Play across the Lifespan: A Critical Synthesis. ACM Games: Research and Practice, Volume 1, Issue 2, Article 14. https://doi.org/10.1145/3594534

q2 · i? · review · r3

The review's synthesis of Pokémon Go research reports that eleven studies found improved social well-being, belonging, or connection, with better peer connections than non-players, and decreased anxieties about leaving the house and interacting with strangers. No effect size is printed.

"Elevenstudies reportimprovedsocialwell-being,belonging,orconnectionthrough PokémonGo,includingbetter connectionswithpeerscomparedtothosewhodidnotplay"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Casual games yield social and emotional benefits when sought for those purposes, played mindfully, and used within robust social contexts, but negative effects in other contexts — a broader claim this one bears on
• Pokémon Go increases physical activity for otherwise sedentary players, but gains do not persist after play ends and do not exceed active non-players — related
• Positive learning communities and collaborative social interaction drive learning — a broader claim this one bears on
• Youth focus groups surfaced four key digital well-being challenge themes: addiction and compulsive use, impact on thinking, effects on social skills, and effects on mental health — related
• Positive teacher–student relationships are associated with greater student engagement and, more weakly, with achievement — a broader claim this one bears on
• Students with belonging, purpose, collaboration, goal-setting, and perseverance skills alongside academic knowledge are more likely to reach their full potential — a broader claim this one bears on
• Casual games show promise for mitigating anxiety, depression, stress, and low mood across the range of mental health issues examined — related