Pokemon Go and Social Work: Empowering Clients with Pocket Monsters

By Yi Zhang, Lizeth Sebastian, Jesus Limon, Carolina Ramirez, and Esteban Plata

Pokemon Go has become a cultural phenomenon. Since the new app came out, people have been wandering around in their neighborhoods in search of these magical creatures known as pokemons. While the game appears to be just another trendy smartphone app, it has some positive implications for social work.

The factor that makes Pokemon Go uniquely fun is augmented reality. Cameras and GPS on smartphones allow players to experience the game in real-time. In order to catch a Pokemon, the player has to leave her house and chase after pokemons labeled on the game map. After pokemons are caught, players can then upgrade and evolve them. There is an interactive piece to it as well. Players often meet each other while hunting for pokemons, and even gather at “battle gyms” to play against each other.

So what do all these things have to do with social work? The answer is that mental health is an important area of service in our profession. Although no formal studies exist to testify the mental health benefits of playing Pokemon Go, a number of news articles have presented anecdotal evidence of such benefits (Conditt, 2016; Grohol, 2016; Mulpeter, 2016). Many people struggling with depression and social anxiety have claimed that Pokemon Go has improved their mood and social skills. This is unsurprising; it’s common knowledge in our field that exercising and socialization are conducive to one’s mental health.

Many of our clients with mental health challenges lack the motivation to go out and socialize. Not only will Pokemon Go empower our clients to leave their house, it will help them get a good walk as exercise and meet other players in the community. Pokemon Go could also be implemented in group settings. A children’s hospital in Michigan has set up Pokemon Go hotspots for patients to play the game together. It distracts patients from focusing on their pain and facilitates healing through social interactions (Bowerman, 2016). The game could inspire social workers to develop creative interventions.

In addition to using Pokemon Go as service to our clients, we can use it for self-care. Social work is tough and we all need to take a good break. I’ve been playing the game for a week. The game is truly entertaining, and it actually introduced me to my new neighbor who was trying to find out what I was doing, while I was chasing after pokemons.

So should we recommend Pokemon Go to our clients? Yes, but a few words of caution is needed. First, children love Pokemon Go, but for them to walk around the streets in some neighborhoods may be unsafe. It’s ideal for children to play this game under adult supervision. Further, there are reports of people getting hit by cars while searching for pokemons. Although such instances are rare, players need to be alert all the time. Finally, the game is not an evidence-based intervention. Clients need to be informed that it’s not a replacement for counseling or medication.

Technology is one of the greatest strength of human civilization, and it could be a great tool for advancing social justice if used appropriately. The rise of Pokemon Go is a great opportunity for us to incorporate technology in social work. With proper guidance, these cute little Pokemons could greatly improve the quality of our services and the lives of our clients.

Yi Zhang, Lizeth Sebastian, Jesus Limon, Carolina Ramirez, and Esteban Plata are social work graduate students at California State University, Long Beach.

References

Bowerman, Mary (2016). Children’s hospital using ‘Pokemon Go’ to get patients out of bed. Retrieved July 25, 2016, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2016/07/15/motts-childrens-hospital-michigan-pokemon-go-get-children-interacting-rooms-technology/87086698/

Conditt, J. (2016, July 13). Pokemon Go’s mental health benefits are real. Retrieved July 25, 2016, from https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/13/pokemon-go-mental-health-science/

Grohol, J. (2016). Pokemon Go Reportedly Helping People’s Mental Health, Depression. Psych Central. Retrieved on July 25, 2016, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/07/11/pokemon-go-reportedly-helping-peoples-mental-health-depression/

Mulpeter, K. (2016). Can Pokemon GO really improve your mental health? Fox News. Retrieved July 25, 2016, from http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/07/19/can-pokemon-go-really-improve-your-mental-health.html