BitPet Study Links Digital Pet Game With 20% Higher Daily Activity

A three-week study of the mobile game BitPet found that participants were, on average, more than 20% physically active on days they played the game. The research examined whether caring for a virtual pet could influence physical activity, motivation and social well-being.

The study involved 51 people between the ages of 20 and 52, with an average age of 26. The group was 65% women and 35% men. Researchers combined questionnaires and interviews with step counts and activity data gathered through the game.

BitPet links a player’s real-world movement to the development of a digital pet. The game uses a smartphone’s built-in step counter to measure activity, allowing players to collect resources, earn step points and encounter other pets on a map. The pet’s fitness is tied to how active the player is.

According to Alf Inge Wang, a BitPet co-founder, professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and supervisor of the master’s students, the virtual pet was an important motivator for many participants. Some reportedly took longer routes home, walked to nearby shops rather than driving or added an extra walk to help their pet develop.

The findings did not apply equally to everyone. Participants differed considerably in how motivating they found the game, and the study observed only a limited effect on social activity. The researchers also reported that the analysis was based on Android users. Data from iOS participants was excluded because of a technical problem that prevented it from being recorded correctly.

BitPet combines digital-pet simulation with location-based gaming and augmented reality. Future versions are expected to include location-based social features intended to encourage in-person interaction, although those features were described as planned additions rather than results from the study.

The project draws on research at NTNU into game design, motivation, physical activity and exercise-focused games. Features including rewards, progression, exploration and resource collection were incorporated into BitPet’s design based on that work.

BitPet AS, led by Mathias Grønstad, has received NOK 5 million from the Research Council of Norway to validate its business model through additional research and development. The company has developed a playable beta version, launched in Norway on the App Store and Google Play.

The study indicates a relationship between playing BitPet and higher activity on play days, but its short duration, Android-only analysis and variation in participant motivation limit what can be concluded about longer-term effects.