Augmented Reality (AR) can help kids go out more and fight obesity by making going out more fun, motivation and building relationships. Everyone tells kids to go out and stop being distracted by technology but what if the answer to making kids go out is technology. There are many ways to fight childhood obesity and make kids more active and the answer was in technology. Many people think that kids need to go out and leave their phones. But in today's world where phones are our main mode of communication kids need it more then ever. Instead of making kids go out as a punishment, we should make them want to go out. Pokemon Go, an app which lets you see pokemon in the real world using Augmented Reality, rewards players who are active by giving them more in-game creature - called Pokemon. AR has the potential to become a regular activity in our daily lives and could motivate people to go out.
AR can help fight obesity by giving rewards for people going out and traveling long distances, whether they are walking or on a bike. This is shown in Five Ways Pokemon GO Is Actually Good For You when it states "it's remarkable just how much of a motivator the game is about getting out and walking around...the game gives you another good reason to cover some pretty significant distances to hatch Pokemon eggs...The first eggs you get require you to walk 2km or 5km ." People go out and walk long distances when they know they are doing it for a reward instead of just the thought of losing weight. Some people need more than self motivation for them to want to lose weight and VR gives them a reason to get better and be more active it of course being Pokemon Go. It makes people more competitive at the game when they are ranked and can compare the activities they do to their friends giving them that boost they need for them to go out more and travel around more
AR games make going outside more fun. AR games could influence people to explore the real world by causing creatures or currency show pop up on your phone, like it does on Pokemon go this is stated in "Pokemon Go Is Why You Are Seeing People Standing In Circles "Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game that requires players to go outside and catch and battle characters from the franchise. A grassy field might look empty to the naked eye, but hold up a smart phone with the game and a player sees Pokemon to catch." AR can make the world more interesting for people who normally don't go out. Pokemon go introduced the idea of bring in fiction into the real world. Players will see things they would never see normally. Players view the world in a way they might have never thought of before. It pulls in players who want to feel nostalgic and view all the creatures they have seen only through a game. It makes them move in order to see all the pokemon they have never seen the more you move the more pokemon you will be able to catch and keep. By doing this the VR game makes it so more people are invested and willing to put their time and effort into it. People who are invested in the game send more time moving than those who don't.
AR can help people move around and meet new people This is shown in "Pokemon Go is why you are seeing people standing in circles" where it says "it's so fun to play," Glenn Matsuda, a 61-year-old retired aerospace worker, said as he repeatedly tapped his phone to weaken a monster. He was joined by players ranging in age from elementary school students to seniors. This shows that there will be many people going outside meaning they will meet other players and connect by playing the game and encourage each other to play . It makes people less likely to move away from the game knowing all the new people they have met because of it. Because the game is very active this would mean they would all be going out to do physical activities and lose weight support one another. People who are lonely are less likely to go out while people who feel included will be more willing to go out with their new friends. AR makes people feel included because it drive them to a goal which people who have similar interests also enjoy.
