Citation

Ayers JW, Leas EC, Dredze M, Allem JP, Grabowski JG, Hill LL. JAMA Intern. Med. 2016; 176(12): 1865-1866.

Affiliation

University of California-San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.6274

PMID

27635638

Abstract

Pokémon GO, an augmented reality game, has swept the nation. As players move, their avatar moves within the game, and players are then rewarded for collecting Pokémon placed in real-world locations. By rewarding movement, the game incentivizes physical activity. However, if players use their cars to search for Pokémon they negate any health benefit and incur serious risk.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 16- to 24-year-olds, whom the game targets. Moreover, according to the American Automobile Association, 59% of all crashes among young drivers involve distractions within 6 seconds of the accident. We report on an assessment of drivers and pedestrians distracted by Pokémon GO and crashes potentially caused by Pokémon GO by mining social and news media reports.

Language: en