Game on for Pokemon Go, says doctor

Gaming sensation Pokemon Go could help ease the childhood obesity crisis by making kids more active, a Scottish doctor suggests.

In a editorial looking at the benefits and risks of the game, Dr Margaret McCartney from Glasgow, who writes for medical journal The BMJ, says our streets have become a reclaimed playground to have interconnected fun because of Pokemon Go.

Over the past two months millions of people have been hunting for Pikachu monsters across the globe, with many - including kids - walking the streets for hours as they play the game.

While Dr McCartney acknowledges that there's been no robust evidence linking the game to particular health benefits, like a reduction in depression as many have suggested, increased physical activity and increased social interactions are tantalising side effects, she said.

She says in our modern lives we all need real life connectivity and this game can facilitate that.

Many people have complained about the Nintendo game's lack of adequate safety protection for children and in the UK the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has published a guide for parents.

Dr McCartney says playing should be made as safe as possible, but like most things Pokemon Go comes with a mix of benefit and risks.

In her opinion, it's game on for her family.

"We never hear about the things that didn't happen: the heart attacks prevented through more exercise, or the vitamin D deficiency that geeks have avoided, blinking in the sunlight while catching a Pikachu monster.

"The possibilities for apps to make the streets an active, reclaimed playground in which to have interconnected fun are boundless. Increased physical activity is a tantalising side effect," she wrote.