New Zealand is the third-fattest country in the world, but games like Pokémon Go could help getting people more active.
The latest sensation to hit mobile devices was released in New Zealand and Australia last week, sending fans of the Japanese animated TV series and games into overdrive.
It is based on augmented reality, using data and GPS to put the digital creatures into real-life places. People have gone to great lengths to catch Pokémon, which have shown up in some interesting places - including a gang headquarters.
Pokémon Go is the latest entry in the exergaming trend which, as the name suggests, mixes exercise and gaming to help give those averse to working out motivation to get healthy.
Auckland University lecturer in computer science Dr Paul Ralph says exergaming moves videogame entertainment from the couch to the outdoors.
"For years games have been part of the sedentary lifestyle - you sit at home, you play games when you're not doing anything else. But exergames turn that upside down and make games a thing that motivates people to get out and exercise," he told Paul Henry on Tuesday.
He says the game can only be a good thing in terms of getting people more active, regardless of how players may look to passersby.
"If you walk around downtown Auckland any time this week you're going to see bands of ne'er-do-well teenagers and millennials wandering around trying to find digital creatures, and before anybody starts saying that's a bad thing somehow - because it does cause people to act a bit suspicious in public - this is instead of doing everything we don't want young people to do. They're looking for digital creatures, exploring their built environment, getting some exercise - basically, this is a good thing."
He says exergames, which have already been used in the Wii gaming console and some gym equipment, are a good motivator for people. However, there had been some suggestions games like Pokémon Go could get some people into a bit of real-life strife - particularly in places where there's racism.
"It causes people to do suspicious looking things in public like walk back and forth past your house trying to find Pikachu. If people don't know what's going on they get nervous, they call the police, bad things happen."
What's also causing concern for some is those who've downloaded the game could have unsuspectingly agreed to hand over access to their personal details. It appears to affect people who signed up using their Google account on both Apple and Android devices.
Newshub.
