Kay Collins’ pedometer reading didn’t lie—the game almost certainly
did increase her physical activity for a time. And the concerns about
the safety of distracted pedestrians (and drivers) have, unfortunately,
borne out. Mara Faccio and John J. McConnell, researchers at
Purdue University, studied thousands of traffic accident reports in
a county in Indiana. They found that, in the months after
Pokémon
Go
was released, traffic accidents in places where the game was
frequently played increased by 28 percent. The researchers estimated
that, just in that one county, the cost of the increased number of
accidents associated with the game was $5.2 million to $25.5 million
in the first 148 days of
Pokémon Go
’s release.
The New York Police Department’s safety advice is sound. We
should all be aware of our surroundings and be careful crossing the
street. Additionally, playing a geographically based game will make a
person walk more. But beyond that we can see in these responses
how people are coming to understand a new technology. People
interpreted facts in different ways to figure out what
Pokémon Go
meant for themselves and the people around them. Some found
the game worrisome while others emphasized its benefits. People
shared their interpretations with each other in the news and in private
conversations and arguments everywhere. By doing this, they helped
to define the game’s place in the shared culture.
As of a few years after the rush of
Pokémon Go
’s wildly popular
first months, the game has not yet brought about a robot society.
It also hasn’t caused millions of people to magically remain physically
active or chatty with strangers. It’s possible, however, that the game
caused the culture to shift ever so slightly in one or more of these
directions. The same kinds of extreme hopes and concerns continue
to surface about a wide variety of other video games.
14
