Laughter is the best medicine…
For those of you that were lucky enough to see our sign “True Potential Welcomes Dr. Pihowich” changed to “True Potential Welcomes Dr. Pikachu” it certainly provided us with a powerful dose of laughter! I grew up playing the original Pokémon, and was interested in the newly-released Pokémon GO – a smartphone app that uses GPS and city maps to turn any city into a Pokémon filled world.
Pokémon GO!
I decided to pick up the app and register myself to give it a try. Naturally I tried registering my name as DoctorPikachu but it was taken! After a short introduction, the game had me leave my office and walk to a park. There I was welcomed to some free items from a few Pokéstops and encountered and caught several different Pokémon. Pokéstops are real life points of interest like murals or monuments that the game rewards you for visiting. A visit to a church, a synagogue, and a monument plaque had me geared to play.
Health and Happiness
I stopped to look around and I was surrounded by Fathers and Sons, groups of friends, solo players, and even the odd adult couple all within the park with their phones out, wandering to the same Pokéstops that I had. All of this I had witnessed in a span of twenty minutes from sitting down. It really filled me with a deep sense of community and something powerful. It had me thinking of the health benefits this app could potentially provide:
- Get active or meet existing goals! You can get new Pokémon by walking 5km to hatch an egg. Bring your child or grandchild with you on a 5-10 km walk to that they can hatch some Pokémon and/or discover new ones along the way.
- Cardiovascular risk seems to be reduced with time spend in greenspace. Spend an hour at the park – small parks and especially larger parks are full of Pokémon- a great way to get some sun and take time away from the urban environment.
- Go on a Pokémon hunt by deciding on a park or neighborhood to explore, and hit the alleyways and side-streets when you can! Spending time interacting with friends and family increases oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine while reducing cortisol. This leads to a happier, healthier brain.
The start of something new?
Having players walk 5km to hatch new Pokémon, visit parks and monuments to collect resources, challenge each other for in game titles linked to parts of their city, and join in activities prompted by other players makes Pokémon GO a success at integrating a video game with the real world. Whether this augmented reality trend is short-lived or makes for a new generation of video games, it’s already an amazing feat. I encourage anyone to get involved with friends or family who play Pokémon, and use Pokémon GO as an opportunity to spend time together and see the beautiful summer city.
By: Dr. Pihowich
PS- Some clever folks even created a Subreddit with maps and city specific details for anyone interested: www.reddit.com/r/pokemongosaskatoon
