"Fitness Incentives"

#PokemonGO: Hi everyone!Recently, I've been thinking about how Pokemon Go could re-incentive the fitness aspect of the game. The health benefits of added exercise are huge in a world struggling with rises in obesity.I feel like the fitness elements of Pokemon Go have really been tucked under the rug since the raid updates. If people start talking more about exercise in PoGO, maybe Niantic will add better fitness incentives into the game. That would be something that could benefit the health of everyone playing. I don't want the most important part of the game to be shrugged off when it could benefit millions of people.The current incentives for walking/exercising in Pokemon Go:EGGsRandom Pokemon with slight IV buffs (Outclassed by the weather system that allows for more targeted types of Pokemon with higher IVs and levels up to 35 instead of just 20)Moderate amount of candies for the random Pokemon (Outclassed by Universal Rare candies along with pinaps mitigating the need for this)Small amount of stardust (Always useful, but grinding hotspots yields stardust much more quickly than trying to stay on the move)Buddy SystemCandies for specific Pokemon (Great, although slow. Doesn’t feel like your buddy is getting directly stronger)Evolution mechanic (Very well done mechanic, I like this)It really seems like the current incentives are greatly outclassed by raids and farming hot spots for weather themed Pokemon. The other issue is that there isn’t any social incentives for walking distances together, as Raids are often so spread out that you would need to drive to do more than one. I think that the best way to fix these incentive issues to provide play styles that effectively reward choosing walking/running/biking in unique ways than trying to catch every Pokemon you see or driving to Raids.Some ideas:Moving Raids: While best fit to the legendary dogs, it would be interesting if some raids were multi-part. You would only select your battle team initially, and would battle the Raid boss. While battling, the boss would have a chance to run (up to twice). If the Pokemon runs, it would appear within a few hundred meters (walking distance) and the group would have to track down the Boss to continue fighting it. If the boss runs it gives extra rewards and boosts IVs.Bike Mode: Boosts the speed cap for eggs and buddy distance to 40km/hour. Pokemon will not spawn around you, and Pokestops will be unspinable (even with the Go+). Professor Willow will reward the player with items based on distance travelled upon leaving bike mode (min 1km).Shiny Charm: An item that could drop from 7 day streaks (Single use). The next Pokemon you encounter has a significantly boosted shiny rate. The distance travelled before catching your next Pokemon boosts the rate further.Buddy Damage Bonus: Your buddy Pokemon will receive a small damage bonus based on the amount of distance you have traveled with it. (5%/100km, max 25%) I think that there are tons of ways to incentive fitness elements into the game without having to compare the efficiency of playstyles. If fitness type activities give boosts that are unique enough from the current incentive systems it won’t detract or deter people from raiding as the neither play style will be directly superior.The most difficult part would be finding effective ways to implement social elements into fitness play styles. Moving raids could help incentive some group exercise, but finding a balance of reward to effort might be difficult to pinpoint. You would want players to be excited to chase after the raid boss, and not be annoyed that they have to. If the incentives are properly measured, group movement could be an awesome addition to the game.Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts on these ideas or any additional ways to incentives different play styles. via /r/TheSilphRoad http://ift.tt/2DVlfML