Pokemon GO is one of the most popular mobile games in the world. The game has taken the world through a storm since its release in 2016. According to a recent study by the London School of Economics, the researchers have compared the number of depression-related searches in areas that had access to the Pokemon Go and areas that didn’t. It was found out that the game has hugely affected the local depression trends.
Since its release, Pokemon Go has been a huge hit among Pokemon fans, and players have spent hours trying to catch the rarest Pokemon. The fever raged on as more fans took to the field to catch Pokemons through the years.
How Pokemon GO has hugely impacted depression depression-related search trends
The study has found that the game has led to fewer searches for depression-related terms such as depression, stress, and anxiety. This suggests that “location-based mobile games may decrease the prevalence of local rates of depression.” However, the study has also revealed that the effect is not permanent since the study has shown that the effects, while significant, were short-term.
Although, it is important to mention that the study has nowhere said that going outside can act as a cure for depression. “In the paper, the authors are keen to stress that their findings only relate to non-clinical forms of mild depression and not those suffering from chronic or severe depressive disorders.”
The researchers believe that the main reason for fewer depression-related searches is that games like Pokemon GO and other location-based video games “encourage outdoor physical activity, face-to-face socialization, and exposure to nature.”
Outdoor activities tend to make people happier, and we can all agree that very few mobile games encourage outdoor activities like Pokemon GO. With its augmented reality-inspired gameplay, the game takes everything up a notch for the players. The study argues that its findings highlight the mental health opportunities of video games like Pokemon Go. You can check out the full study here.
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