Pokemon Go

[Pancho]

Got approached to input into a piece about it in relation to physical activity

http://www.techinsider.io/pokmon-go-may-fight-childhood-obesity-better-than-the-white-house-2016-7

I think it's a good thing, but they didn't include any of my concerns. I was asked...

Could Pokemon Go have any lessons for public policy makers? In what ways?

It should be said, Pokemon Go has not been subject to rigorous evaluation. It may be that any effects it has are short lived; that there are unintended consequences (my son skipped a taekwondo class to play Pokemon Go); the effects may only be there for specific subpopulations that are already well served, and thereby increase health inequality; there may be spatial patterning in effects which moderate the health benefits (through air pollution, etc). As such, I think policy makers should draw on high quality systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials, rather than change policy based on widely hyped games. That said, I think the approach of making physical activity extrinsically rewarding in the short term may promote initiation of behaviour change, and review evidence (Amireault et al, 2012) suggests that motivation and goals are relatively strongly associated with physical activity maintenance. As such, scaffolding the initiation and maintenance of health behaviours until the intrinsic rewards emerge would appear a sensible approach. The relative failure of the developers game that came before Pokemon Go (Ingress) suggests that the fact game leverages a franchise that is held dear by such a wide age span could be responsible for the reported reach of the app. As such, public policy makers may need to learn from Niantic (the developers) and find a loved game world that the public value sufficiently to care about leveling up in that world enough to change their real world behaviour.

FFS. It's people playing games.

[mrcharly-YHT]

FFS. It's people playing games.

So is football. So is the Olympics, the tour de france, wimbledon and kids kicking a can between two rolled up jumpers.

'games' are a way of interacting with rules, sometimes with other people. The rules create a restricted  behaviour that enables people to explore interaction. That help people to feel safe to interact in ways they would otherwise not feel comfortable, or simply help a group have fun together. When a bunch of strangers meet at midnight and ride to a cafe to have breakfast it is also a game, a particularly frivolous one. It's all just a game.

[Pancho]

FFS. It's people playing games.

So is football. So is the Olympics, the tour de france, wimbledon and kids kicking a can between two rolled up jumpers.

'games' are a way of interacting with rules, sometimes with other people. The rules create a restricted  behaviour that enables people to explore interaction. That help people to feel safe to interact in ways they would otherwise not feel comfortable, or simply help a group have fun together. When a bunch of strangers meet at midnight and ride to a cafe to have breakfast it is also a game, a particularly frivolous one. It's all just a game.

Quite. Which is why I hold my head in my hands when "public policy makers" get involved.

[Mr Larrington]

On Sun morning in playground with MrsC, Eldest sprog and grandsproglet. Two kids come up to us: "Are you playing pokemon go? Cool!" They wander off and one saying to the other "Only 1.4 kilometers until I hatch this egg, lets get walking!".

They were about 9-10. I think that it is possibly a good thing, health wise. They were definitely kids who would be hammering the xbox on most days as their preferred choice of activity.

Only 1.3 kilometers to go before they fall into the sticky clutches of the Pedobear, more like.  Won't somebody think of the children?
</Forgers's Gazette>

[RichForrest]

Pushing a pushchair slowly round a park for a couple of hours doesn't add up to many kilometres. I've only hatched a few 2km eggs and one 5km egg since sun (Dez will understand this).

The daughter uses a record player, place phone on turntable and go and have a coffee.

[LEE]

Pushing a pushchair slowly round a park for a couple of hours doesn't add up to many kilometres. I've only hatched a few 2km eggs and one 5km egg since sun (Dez will understand this).

The daughter uses a record player, place phone on turntable and go and have a coffee.

Your daughter really doesn't understand MP3 does she?

[mrcharly-YHT]

FFS. It's people playing games.

So is football. So is the Olympics, the tour de france, wimbledon and kids kicking a can between two rolled up jumpers.

'games' are a way of interacting with rules, sometimes with other people. The rules create a restricted  behaviour that enables people to explore interaction. That help people to feel safe to interact in ways they would otherwise not feel comfortable, or simply help a group have fun together. When a bunch of strangers meet at midnight and ride to a cafe to have breakfast it is also a game, a particularly frivolous one. It's all just a game.

Quite. Which is why I hold my head in my hands when "public policy makers" get involved.

Without public policy makers, football fields, parks to walk in, would be built over. Cycle paths to ride on with little children would never be built. Swimming pools likewise.

[Robh]

Pushing a pushchair slowly round a park for a couple of hours doesn't add up to many kilometres. I've only hatched a few 2km eggs and one 5km egg since sun (Dez will understand this).

The daughter uses a record player, place phone on turntable and go and have a coffee.

Your daughter really doesn't understand MP3 does she?

POTD! 

[Cudzoziemiec]

Pokemon Go as a murder tool?

It still isn’t clear why the two were attacked, police said. But they have speculated that it may have been that the attackers found the teenagers using the app itself – which has location features that make it possible to encourage people to go to specific areas, or to locate players.

It's clearly a murder though (or perhaps an accidental shooting meant for someone else, we don't yet know) rather than a "death by Pokemon".

[Cudzoziemiec]

From death to love.

[Kim]

From death to love.

Okay, that's the point where it stops making sense for me.

[Wowbagger]

Denis tried explaining Pokemon Go to Aunt Phyllis.

"It sounds to me as if you are deliberately giving yourself Charles Bonnet syndrome!" she said.

I think she understood.

[LEE]

Pokemon players crash into Police Car

This makes me bloody mad.

Jaunty music playing over what could have been fatalities.  It gives it a general "it's OK kids..it's normal" feeling to what happened.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Snorlax! Either they've stolen that name from the Moomins or it's what you take when it's 2 a.m. and a rock in your bowels is stopping you sleeping!

[spesh]

About that last bit - you might want to stop eating rocks. Just sayin'...

[Guy]

Having read this thread through I think I may now have the explanation for the yoof onna BSO I saw ride slo-o-o-o-wly into the side of the phone box outside my house while staring at his mobile phone on Tuesday evening

[Cudzoziemiec]

Woman arrested for stealing child's bike to go Pokémon hunting

[clarion]

On Sun morning in playground with MrsC, Eldest sprog and grandsproglet. Two kids come up to us: "Are you playing pokemon go? Cool!" They wander off and one saying to the other "Only 1.4 kilometers until I hatch this egg, lets get walking!".

They were about 9-10. I think that it is possibly a good thing, health wise. They were definitely kids who would be hammering the xbox on most days as their preferred choice of activity.

Only 1.3 kilometers to go before they fall into the sticky clutches of the Pedobear, more like.  Won't somebody think of the children?
</Forgers's Gazette>

Third *SPLORT* of this thread, after Poking one's Mons, and and this:

I wonder when Doom-go is going to come along...

I'm perplexed it hasn't come along already. Along with zombie defence. Imagine defending your office building/home against a zombie horde.

We call that 'meetings'.

[D.A.L.E.]

Just caught myself a Blastoise. Yeaaa boiiiiiii

[billplumtree]

Well get yourself to your GP, sharpish.

[Wowbagger]

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/14644626.Cheap_rail_fares_on_c2c_this_Friday_for_all_Pokemon_hunters/

How about a discount for anyone who turns up with a bicycle, wanting to take advantage of the countryside?

[Bledlow]

Turn up with a bicycle & say that you're hunting Pokemon by bike.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Move over, Batman.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Pokemon Go is (like various other games) "a first draft of history."

[Paul]

Stephen Collins says: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2016/jul/30/stephen-collins-on-pokemon-go-cartoon