Today developer of mega-popular mobile games Niantic has shared their 2019 Social Impact Report, outlining the positive affect their partners, players and communities have made in the world this year. Niantic’s report highlights initiatives that focus on improving environmental sustainability, education, and physical and mental health and are partnered with UNICEF, Knight Foundation, the National Park Foundation, Tech Row, DonorsChoose.org, as well as local governments and charities. Niantic develops Pokemon Go, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and Ingress.

Our 2019 Social Impact Report is here! We applaud the impact made by community members, non-profits, foundations, and government agencies this year. Be sure to keep an eye out for some exciting projects in the new year! Learn more about our year at: https://t.co/Y2waE0RGK5 pic.twitter.com/yCBCEPSNmd

— Niantic, Inc. (@NianticLabs) December 11, 2019

Niantic’s report is comprised of several visually appealing inforgraphics that highlight the year of impressive, socially beneficial accomplishments from members of their community. In 2019 Niantic along with their partners and community members raised over $100,000 to help fund STEM programs in the communities where Niantic maintains offices, with $28,000 of that total coming directly from players at Niantic’s “impact events.”

Niantic also shares that their player base helped to clear 20 elephants worth of garbage from their local communities–that’s about 145 tons of waste–as a result in large turnouts for Pokemon Go-based events centered around Earth Day.

Overall, over 90,000 Niantic gamers participated in various charity and community initiatives in 2019, holding over 500 “impact events” and contributing over 40,000 hours of their time to making their communities a better place for everyone. Some more feel-good statistics from Niantic’s Social Impact Report for the year include over 6,000 items donated to community organizations, over 1,000 meals provided from over 2,000 kilograms of food collected.

Even players who didn’t directly participate in Niantic’s charity and community events are helping to make a positive impression on the world at large. Niantic’s AR mobile games encourage social behavior and beneficial, low-impact exercise, and their report quotes The Japan Times noting that “Pokemon Go keeps senior citizens fit and staves off isolation.” In 2019, Niantic reports that over 173 million friend connections were made across all their titles, and their players collectively walked over 16.3 billion kilometers, a record statistic and more than the distance to Pluto at the edge of the solar system.

Niantic’s AR mobile games are available for Android and iOS. Anyone interested in creating a player-driven and Niantic supported event in their own community is encouraged to contact social-impact@nianticlabs.com.