The rise & fall of Pokémon Go: dumb fun or strong sensitization campaign?

Pokémon Go was an instant success: both young and old hit the streets, smartphones pulled out and ready for action. Opinions about the phenomenon abounded, but one thing was for certain: Pokémon Go got people … on the go! The group of Pokémon-hunters actually geared up their physical activity to such an extent that developers of apps with activity trackers saw an increase in average activity. For people under 30, this meant an average increase in their number of daily steps by almost 10 per cent. This is enormous. Comparable peaks in physical activity are otherwise only observed during the first week of January, the week of good resolutions.

Mental health professionals were equally enthused: patients with fear and depression left their houses thanks to Pokémon Go. Rather than anxiously avoiding the outside world, they went out by themselves.Unfortunately, a month later the number of Pokémon Go users had already dropped by one third and a little later ‘only’ 20% was still on the go. Should this make us conclude that it was all for nothing? No! On a total of 70 million gamers, 20% is still a considerable number. Moreover, any action which can keep 20% of any group involved for at least one month, is a very successful action. And even for those who only took part for less than one month, having had a taste of a healthier lifestyle has an effect which can’t be underestimated: it could be the beginning of something nice later on...

After of the huge success of pokémon go, there were rumours that developpers were working on a"Harry Potter Go" , but nothing is sure yet and so far nothing has been released. So what's next?