If you were one of those who like to play Pokemon GO (Free) quite often, congratulations, you’re going to live longer. At least that’s what a recent Stanford University-Microsoft study has shown. The study tried to quantify the impact of Pokemon GO on physical activity and did so by studying the effect of the game on physical activity through wearable sensor date and engine logs for 32 thousand users over a period of three months. What did the study find out? Playing Pokemon GO leads to significant increase in physical activity, a fact your feet can attest to if you were one of those really into the game back in the summer.
Specifically, really engaged players increased their activity by an average of 1500 steps a day, an increase in the range of 25% from pre-Pokemon GO activity. And this increase was seen in people across genders and of all ages, weight status, and prior physical activity.
I’m not surprised to read about the increase, but it’s one thing having the impression people walked more and another to see it in numbers. Another important effect of the game was that it managed to reach not only already-active populations but also those who don’t usually exercise. Such increases in activity could have a “measurable effect on life expectancy," according to the study, so if you want to live to see your great-grandchildren ruin everything you love, start playing Pokemon GO even more. If you want to read the study in detail, go here.