Gotta catch em all: how Pokemon go has changed corporate wellness forever

14 Jul Gotta catch em all: how Pokemon go has changed corporate wellness forever

If there’s anyone in your business who still doubts the power of gamification to motivate people in the real world, just say two words to them: Pokemon Go.

Pokemon Go is an absolute obsession that’s taking the world by storm. It’s the biggest mobile game in US history. And it’s only in its first week.

It’s everywhere. Go out at lunchtime today, and I guarantee you’ll see people running around trying to catch Pokemons on their phone.

The good news for corporate wellness? The psychology and global forces fuelling Pokemon Go can fuel your wellness program too.

Here’s 9 lessons that have emerged for corporate wellness from the Pokemon Go phenomenon

1. Speed: things now change fast. Really fast.

Within the space of a week, Pokemon rose from a school playground fad to a business strategy. Its growth was breathtakingly fast.

Like many of you, I went home from work one night and everyone was talking ab out it – not just my kids, but social media and even the nightly news.

Within 24 hours of its release, Pokemon GO had beaten slither io and Clash Royale. Within three days it had more users than Twitter.

Lesson? The news cycle – and the consumer trends cycle – is speeding up fast. Gone are the days when you could spend months deciding on a solution, and then wait until Q2 to roll it out. When your employees hear about something, they expect to be able to do it straight away.

2. People love achieving points

Pokemon Go is what business gamification is all about: using the mechanics of an online game to motivate behaviours.

Pokemon Go is a corporate wellness managers’ dream: people are walking, hiking and running like never before to find those pesky pokemons.

People aren’t just changing their behaviours. They’re obsessed. In New York, the subway authorities have had to warn people is not to jump onto the tracks to chase digital Rattatas. In Australia the police are urging people to stay safe while playing the game (see image right).

3. People crave social connection

People love being part of a craze. It’s exciting. A big part of the addictive quality of Pokemon Go is the social connection. Players feel they are part of something bigger than themselves.

The game is bringing friends together with a shared purpose. But more than that, its helping players feel united with groups of people they’ve met before.

When you meet other people seeking out that Pokemon outside the local café, it feels communal, it feels like you’re part of a tribe.

It also gives players a social currency: if you’re in the know about Pokemon Go, you must be pretty cool. (On that note, this coolness factors is also driving businesses to take part too – see point 9 below.)

4. It’s a shift in how people use technology and online games

Some health experts have been critical of technology because they perceive it as encouraging sedentary behaviour. Young people are spending too much time on screens, and not enough time outdoors in physical movement, they say.

Well, Pokemon Go is changing all that.

Pokemon Go places a virtual reality world over real life. You have to physically go to real places to catch a virtual Pokemon.

In fact, the Pokemon phenomenon, back when it was a Nintendo game, and later when it was all about collectible cards – was based on a childhood memory of collecting insets.

Japanese game creator, Satoshi Tajiri, explains, “Places to catch insects are rare because of urbanisation. Kids play inside their homes now, and a lot had forgotten about catching insects. So had I. When I was making games, something clicked and I decided to make a game with that concept.”

The advantages for corporate health and wellness are startling. We can use technology to encourage physical activity; virtual reality can shape real life behaviour.

5. The digital world is merging with the real world

Technology companies have tried virtual reality (VR) before, but so far it’s been expensive and out of the realm of most people. The VR masks are also confined to safe indoor places, such as a dedicated centre or your lounge room.

Pokemon Go has created a virtual reality that’s free – and easy to use. You just need an android or iPhone. You can be in Pokemon world and the real world at the same time. That’s groundbreaking – and it’s been done in an incredibly simple and accessible way.

How does it do it? Pokemon Go is integrated with Google Maps. It uses real life places, such as a train station or shop or cemetery as a landmark, and it hides virtual Pokemons there. You look for the virtual Pokemons through your phone camera and then catch them via your screen.

6. Accessibility is key

Part of the success of Pokemon Go is that anyone, anywhere can play it. You don’t have to be in New York City, or any city. You can play it in your house, your village or any ordinary suburb. If you’re on Google Maps, you can be on Pokemon Go.

A good wellness program needs to be geographically diverse too. Make sure your activities can be done anywhere. Use free technology such as Google Maps to help people plan walking or running trails, or to create team races across mapped out routes.

7. Be technically ready

As I write this, the Pokemon Go servers have crashed – again.

Technology problems make people really, really mad. Combined with short attention spans, and the  global sense that no one has enough time in the day, and you can see the potential problems. When choosing an online platform, find out about server performance and responsiveness, and what IT support you’ll have if problems occur.

8. People do have spare time

The big question is: All these people running around the city playing Pokemon Go – how do they have the time? Everyone’s always talking about being time poor and having too much to do. They don’t have time to exercise, to cook healthy. But somehow they find time to trek to the other side of town to catch Pikachu.

People do have time to spare to do things they consider important. You just have to make it worth their while.

9. The pokeconomy

Just as Pokemon Go is blurring the lines are blurred between virtual and reality, so too is it blurring the lines between business and personal life.

Businesses in major towns and cities are capitalising on the Pokemon craze, to attract more customers and buy themselves some street cred.

You can buy “lures”: pay $10 to lure Pokemons to your premise, to attract more customers. Likewise, you can pay to be a Pokestop for thirty minutes, again to attract more players and customers to your business.

The lesson: look to capitalise on trends and don’t ignore them as superficial frippery.

What should you do about Pokemon Go in the workplace?

Use it to your advantage!

Chances are your employees will be playing Pokemon Go at work. Rather than banning it, use it.

Use it to encourage your employees to go outside for a walk at lunchtime.

Use it to help breakdown silos. Encourage teams to verse other teams in who can catch the most. Shake it up – managers vs team members; sales vs IT. Use it to create energy, camaraderie and a shared sense of purpose – and fun!