An investigation by Julien Welmant, doctor and Pokémon fan
Pokémon and Health
What if Pikachu stepped into healthcare?
A comprehensive guide to Pokémon and health
Pokémon is a world people grow attached to, sometimes from childhood. Its characters, the memories they bring back and the joy of playing give it a form of cultural influence: its “soft power”. Could that influence encourage us to walk more, build a sleep routine or feel less apprehensive about a medical procedure?
I explored existing initiatives and studies to understand what this attachment might contribute to health, what has already been measured and what remains to be explored. I chose the name “Pokémon and Health” to bring together these observations and the ideas they inspired.
How this investigation began
One glance at the shelf in my office reveals my geeky side: a few Pokémon, some Poké Balls and a little Lego. One day, someone spotted them and joked, “I didn’t know Pikachu worked in healthcare.” The remark stayed with me. It brought together two parts of my life: my attachment to this world and my work as a doctor.
How to read this guide
A study measures an outcome in a particular population. An announcement confirms a programme. A personal account describes an experience. These documents complement one another, with different limitations. The references show where they come from and how much of each document was read.
Pokémon and Health is the name of this personal project, independent of the companies behind the franchise. Questions about care are presented alongside the evidence and its uncertainties.
Research cutoff: · English edition published · Updates
Where would you like to start?
Explore at your own pace. Start with the overview, choose a question below or follow the whole investigation.
Imagined scenes created for the project.
To choose a topic, browse the chapters by theme. To read everything on one page, open the full guide.
Looking for a particular reference? Browse the catalogue or the sources and methods.
Find your way through the guide
What would you like to explore with Pokémon?
Preparing for care, planning a study, designing an experience… These reading paths connect your question with the research and ideas in this guide.
How could a familiar character support someone during care?
Start with documented uses, then the needs of the people involved. You can then discover the ideas I would like to explore as a doctor.
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Discover uses in care
Examples of preparation and support, with sources that help explain their context.
Explore hospital uses -
Think about the experience with the people involved
Accessibility, sensitivities and preferences: points to consider when designing an experience suited to each person.
Read the chapter on accessibility -
Move towards a concrete proposal
Discovering the setting, a demonstration mask, a calm simulation: three ideas for preparing children for radiotherapy.
Discover the three paediatric ideas
A care situation to explore together?
An initial conversation could start with a group of people, a moment in the care pathway and a precise question.
Two further readings
What does Pokémon specifically contribute, and how can we study it?
Distinguishing attachment to characters from the effects of play, activity and encounters can help frame a precise research question.
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Place the findings and open questions in context
An initial reading to identify the main uses studied and the limitations to keep in mind.
Read the evidence summary -
Examine the available documents
Find the references and the stated reading level, then go back to the original documents relevant to your question.
Open the source library -
Define what to compare
Explore proposed mechanisms and conditions for evaluation: for whom, in what situation and using which criteria?
Browse research directions
A study to develop from an idea?
My personal proposals offer concrete situations to discuss with a research team.
Two further readings
How can we design an experience that makes people want to take part?
The Pokémon world can inspire a story, a companion or a group game. This pathway connects these possibilities with emotions, learning and participants’ needs.
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Understand the role of characters
Explore the memories, emotions and ties that players develop with their companions.
Read the chapter on attachment -
Connect enjoyment with an educational purpose
Examine the links between Pokémon and learning to clarify what the experience should help people understand.
Explore cognition and learning -
Discover formats to imagine
A shared garden, an encounter with Miroki or a medical video: proposals to adapt to a specific context.
See ideas for care settings
An idea for a story, workshop or video?
Sharing knowledge on my YouTube channel is another way to bring fiction and medical explanations together.
Two further readings
What could we imagine together around Pokémon and health?
This guide brings together an independent investigation and ideas drawn from my experience as a doctor. Here is a path to understand the subject, discover my proposals and consider a conversation.
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Understand the field in a few pages
Walking, sleep, relationships and care: the summary provides an overview of the uses and findings presented.
Discover the essentials of the guide -
Browse existing initiatives
Explore the products, resources and initiatives brought together in the catalogue to understand the possibilities and their contexts.
Consult the catalogue -
Discover what I would like to build
An initial collaboration idea around paediatric radiotherapy, with possibilities extending to prevention and sharing knowledge.
Read the proposal for a joint programme
What if we explored these ideas together?
The Pokémon Company, its partners and interested teams are welcome to contact me to think through an initial proposal.
These paths overlap. You can switch between them or explore freely.
Read the overviewBrowse all chaptersExplore the sourcesStart with a question
Explore an idea
See the fifteen chapters in order
- Why look at Pokémon through the lens of health?
- Walking and moving with Pokémon
- Sleeping and recovering with Pokémon Sleep
- Brushing teeth and caring for everyday routines
- Well-being, mental health and relationships
- Attachment, memories and emotions
- Neurodiversity, disability and accessibility
- Cognition, learning and connections with the living world
- Pokémon in care, hospitals and cancer-related settings
- Food and everyday products
- Public health, institutions and places
- Cards, collecting and communities
- Conditions of use, safety and personal data
- Exploratory directions for further research
- Methods, sources and updates
Why look at Pokémon through the lens of health?
Walking and moving with Pokémon
Sleeping and recovering with Pokémon Sleep
Brushing teeth and caring for everyday routines
Well-being, mental health and relationships
Attachment, memories and emotions
Neurodiversity, disability and accessibility
Cognition, learning and connections with the living world
Pokémon in care, hospitals and cancer-related settings
Food and everyday products
Public health, institutions and places
Cards, collecting and communities
Conditions of use, safety and personal data
Exploratory directions for further research
Methods, sources and updatesCare, prevention and learning: my ideas with Pokémon
Preparing children for radiotherapy, imagining a shared garden, explaining medicine on YouTube: ten personal ideas that grew out of this investigation.
What if we explored these ideas together?
This guide also opens up ideas I would like to develop with The Pokémon Company or its partners. As a doctor, I am particularly interested in supporting people with cancer, especially in preparing children for radiotherapy and improving their experience of care.
If these ideas resonate with your projects, or if you know someone who knows someone at The Pokémon Company… I would love to talk. There might be a great team waiting to come together.