Playing Pokemon Go may distort the mental growth of young children, doctors believe

Although Pokemon Go has so far received positive feedback from the health experts, but now it seems there may be some harmful effects of the augmented reality game too.

Young children in the age group of 10-15 years who are still growing physically and psychologically may be the worst hit by this game.

Doctors said that the social life or interactions of these children are likely to be majorly disrupted if they play and become addicted to Pokemon Go, according to a GulfNews report.

Till now, the video and mobile games were being played on gaming consoles, which presented a virtual reality to the gamers. But with the launch of Pokemon Go, the virtual and real worlds have superimposed and the gamers seem to have no idea of the reality.

People trying to catch Pikachu (a bird) outdoors would be oblivious to the surroundings, which have even led to death and injuries to the gamers.

But the physical harm, according to the experts is miniscule as compared to the impact on the psychology of people in general or children in particular that Pokemon Go can have.

Children can have a distorted understanding of a reality if they continue playing this game, the doctors said.

"Augmented reality has been around for more than a decade but it's only now that gaming companies are using it extensively. It is different from virtual reality or VR. The VR created an artificial information but augmented reality syncs both worlds and overlays digital information over the real world," Joe Akkawi, a gaming enthusiast and tech guru was quoted by the Gulf News as saying.

Akkawi said that playing Pokemon Go is like a child walking with his three-dimensional glasses surrounded by an Alice in Wonderland reality throwing the digital ball to catch a Pikachu perched right behind a bush he may be passing by.

Mary John, a Dubai-based clinical psychologist told the daily that children who get addicted to Augmented reality games can end up living a lonely life.

"Children today are already addicted to video games and addiction of any kind that distracts a child to an extent that he does not wash, sleep or eat is bound to affect him physically and emotionally and impact his performance in school.

While the human brain has the capacity to differentiate between two- and three-dimensional reality and adapt, seeing life through the prism of augmented reality, as in the case of Pokemon Go, is likely to seriously hamper a young child's understanding of the real world around him. He will become a loner and refuse to interact with people or know how to return a hug or a smile and this will impact his social and emotional skills that he begins to build in this age." Mary said.