Pokemon didn’t make people Go, according to scientists
Pokémon Go was undoubtedly the biggest fad of 2016.
Within half an hour of the game's release, half a million people had downloaded it on Android devices and by the end of the day it was at the top of the UK app charts.
As the craze took hold of the nation, businesses tried to cash in on it by dropping virtual items near shops and luring people in to spend.
Read more: Sony wants to make the next Pokemon Go
But, now Pokémon Go has flopped harder than the British pound – and it has proved to be a disappointment in more ways than one.
Scientists have crushed any hope that Pokémon Go was good for your health.
A study from researchers at Harvard University has found that any fitness benefit gained from catching Pokémon on the app was only temporary.
The group looked at the number of steps taken by participants four weeks before and six weeks after downloading the game.
The study in the British Medical Journal said:
Pokémon Go was associated with an increase in the daily number of steps after installation of the game. The association was, however, moderate and no longer observed after six weeks.
The average number of steps taken each day by the people in the study increased by 955 in the week after they installed Pokémon Go. But, as the attraction of the game faded, so did the number of steps taken by the participants.
It didn't take long for people to stop putting in the extra effort (Source: British Medical Journal)