Here at JOE, most of us can’t comment first-hand on the limitless joys of Pokemon Go, as at the time of writing the damn thing still hasn’t been officially released in the UK.
We’ve been following all the news surrounding the game since its launch in Australia, New Zealand and America, though, and it’s nice to see social media users reporting that the novel augmented reality game is actually having a positive effect on their mental health.
Pokemon Go requires players to get out and about to track down virtual Pokemon using the GPS on their smartphones.
You follow an in-game map to where the monsters are located – the game responds to the player’s environment so water-type Pokemon are likely to be found hanging around near rivers and lakes, for example – and they will appear on the in-app camera viewfinder for budding trainers to catch. How good the game is from a gameplay perspective doesn’t really matter when you can catch a Snorlax while walking the dog. This is the definitive 90’s kid fantasy.
https://twitter.com/griffski/status/752556111509725184
And according to some anecdotal accounts on Twitter, the active nature of the game is also helping people with mental health problems.
A number of users have said that the game has given them an incentive to get outdoors, something they might generally struggle with on a day-to-day basis. There’s obviously no hard evidence supporting the game’s benefits in this respect,
https://twitter.com/osskov/status/751461002743410688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Pokemon Go is literally making people with depression and anxiety and agoraphobia leave the house and explore the world and socialise.
— jason? (@jasonjarmoosh) July 8, 2016
#PokemonGO is going to do wonders for my mental health, providing me with purpose and reason to go outside at last.
— Drew Dale Rebooting…🖤💜❤️💉💻✨ 🇪🇺 (@drwdal) July 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/RamenRush/status/752143867198267392
https://twitter.com/OhKimmies/status/752025100807876609
I've been seeing a ton of positive feed back from pokemon go in terms of people social interactions and mental health. 🙂 what a great game
— MegaZard☆X☆ (@MegaZard_X) July 10, 2016
Pokemon Go might just be the best thing for improving my mental health and positive body image. Yesterday I walked 8.5 miles for Pokemon.
— Adam (@ArcherKet) July 10, 2016
https://twitter.com/andrewmswift/status/752023746878201857
For those of you reading these feel-good stories and itching to get your hands on the game, you shouldn’t have too much longer to wait.
The Wall Street Journal reported today that a European launch should happen ‘within a few days’. Clear your schedule of everything expect Pikachu-hunting. 
