JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Pokémon Go is a very popular location-based augmented reality game with widespread influences over the world. An emerging body of research demonstrates that playing Pokémon Go can lead to improvements in physical activity and psychosocial wellbeing and thus may have a protective effect against self-harm. However, the population-level impact of Pokémon Go has been underexplored.

Objective:

This study aims to quantify the impact of the introduction of Pokémon Go in Hong Kong on population-level incidences of self-harm and other intentional injury and non-injury events.

Methods:

An interrupted time-series design with Poisson segmented regression from 2012 to 2018 was used to detect any changes in the number of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances due to self-harm, adjusted for sex and population size, when Pokémon Go was launched. The findings were validated using a false study period and other intentional injury and minor non-injury types of A&E attendances as controls. We also assessed effects by age.

Results:

From January 1st 2012 to July 31st 2018, there were 13,463 A&E attendances due to self-harm in Hong Kong. After the launch of Pokémon Go, self-harm attendances dropped by 34% (adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.66 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61-0.73). In age specific analysis, a reduction in self-harm incidence was only apparent in adults (IRR 0.57-0.78, p<0.001 to p=0.02).

Conclusions:

Population-level incidence of self-harm showed a significant decline, particularly in adults, when Pokémon Go was launched. Augmented reality games such as Pokémon Go hold great promises to enhance individual psychosocial wellbeing and population mental health.