EFFECT OF POKEMON GO: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HEALTH AND OTHER IMPACTS

Abstract

During 2016, a video game called “Pokemon Go” was popularly played among Thai teenagers and adults. The game was invented to attract the players by simply providing access from their personal smart phones. Just like the others, any game addiction has effects on the personnel health and can lead to unpredictable accident. The impacts of “Pokamon Go” game players was studied by research distribution of “DPU Poll 2559” to 1,235 students and the public population. Two-Stage Cluster Random Sampling was undertaken in three districts of Bangkok Metropolitan. From each district, the “Pokamon Go” players (students and the public population) were Simple Random Sampling with no limitation of gender or age. Data were collected (from the fully filled-up returning) via Poll, then, analyzed for percentage of association between the health impacts with age, sex, hours and playing frequency. The relationship between physical symptoms and learning or working performances of the game players was also statistically analyzed by Chi-square and Relative Volume Analysis using Cramer’s V method. The results show that “Pokemon Go” players are female more than male, and youngsters more than adults. The game players remarkably reduced their social relationship with friends and families. The impacts were higher in students than working adults. Physical impacts found in the players included back & shoulder pain (office syndrome),poor vision, sleeplessness, disturbance of bowel habit, etc. These physical symptoms were significantly associated with their learning and working performances, especially to their leisure time and their bowel habit.Finally, the strain built-up to the neck muscles or the office syndrome will affect their general health and personality.The predicted long term effects could be the weakness of the eyes muscles and the poor vision. Thus, it is advised that the players should limit the time spending on the game for the better healthy living.