In addition to building physical fitness, Pokémon Go users can raise money for charity while playing the game, says mobile app Charity Miles.
The app tracks users' movements and donates a small amount of money to a charity of their choice for each mile they walk, run, or cycle.
Pokémon Go necessitates that users walk around to find Pokémon and hatch eggs, to the point that numerous keen users have reported having sore legs after playing the game for hours on end.
Charity Miles founder Gene Gurkoff told The Huffington Post that users can log Charity Miles while playing Pokémon Go by keeping the former app open in the background when playing the game, and noted the app "got a big surge" of miles over the weekend following the game's US release.
The app donates 10 US cents (about R1.40) for each mile (about 1.6km) a user cycles, and 25 cents (about R3.60) for each mile a user walks or runs, but caps the yearly donations at 50% of its revenue, which it gains from corporate sponsors and through advertising via the app.
Charity Miles now urges users to take part in its "Pokémon Go Challenge" by logging Charity Miles while they play the game, and uploading Pokémon Go screenshots via the Charity Miles app.
Some charities benefiting from the app have encouraged users to support their specific cause via Charity Miles while playing the game.
A US animal shelter has found a different way of encouraging charitable activity via the game, as it invites Pokémon Go players to walk dogs at the shelter as a way to find Pokémon or "get [their] steps in" to hatch eggs.
Pokémon Go has also been found to increase foot traffic to small businesses, as they can use the game to purchase a "lure" and place it in their location to attract Pokémon - and, consequently, Pokémon Go players, who are likely to purchase something from the business as they pursue the Pokémon - for 30 minutes. Many businesses have reported spikes in sales after placing lures, which cost 99 US cents (about R14) each.
Share
