A Study of a Mobile Game on the Interrelationships of Technology Acceptance, Interpersonal Relation, Sense of Direction, and Information Literacy — A Case of Pokémon GO

Abstract

The constant innovation of technology information has been prompting the development of mobile games. With the development, mobile games have an increasing influence on human beings. In June of 2016, Niantic Labs launched a mobile game called Poké mon GO, which led to a wave to play mobile games and stimulated the development of game industry. In addition, Poké mon GO was not only played for pleasure, but the police in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, also exploited the characteristic that Poké mon GO made players crowd in order to lower the crime rate. Additionally, Japan National Tourism Organization utilized Poké mon GO to increase the number of tourists by means of raising the probability of special pocket monsters showing up at specific spots. This study took a mobile game, Poké mon GO as a case and investigated the relationship among technology acceptance, interpersonal relation, sense of direction, and information literacy based on the model of technology acceptance (TAM). The total number of the valid questionnaires which were collected in Taiwan was 306. The result showed that social influence and enjoyment had an impact on mobile game users' behavioral intention. The mobile game's ease of use perceived by the users had an effect on enjoyment of the mobile game. In addition, from users' self-evaluation, they thought this game improved their interpersonal relation, sense of direction, and information literacy. Future studies can center on users from different countries and explore design elements of mobile games, marketing strategies, and the impact on users' mental and physical state.