Niantic games players show declining walking distances in 2023, Players walking less over the years
Niantic, the developer behind popular augmented reality games like Pokémon GO, Ingress, and Pikmin, has revealed a noticeable trend: players are walking less each year. In 2023, players of Niantic games collectively walked a total of 5 billion kilometers, a significant decrease from previous years.
Looking back, Niantic players logged impressive distances: 8.1 billion kilometers in 2020, 6.93 billion in 2021, and 7.2 billion in 2022. To put it into perspective, the distance covered in 2022 is equivalent to walking around the Earth 180,000 times. However, the latest figure for 2023 shows a substantial drop, bringing the total down to just 5 billion kilometers.
This decline in walking distances among Niantic game players raises questions about changing player habits and preferences. While these games are designed to encourage outdoor activity and exploration, the recent numbers suggest a shift in how players are engaging with these games.
Various factors could be contributing to this trend, including changes in gameplay, the global pandemic’s lingering effects, or broader shifts in the gaming community’s lifestyle.
