Who Is Still Playing Pokémon Go? A Web-Based Survey

Abstract

BackgroundPoor physical activity is one of the major health care problems in Western civilizations. Various digital gadgets aiming to increase physical activity, such as activity trackers or fitness apps, have been introduced over recent years. The newest products are serious games that incorporate real-life physical activity into their game concept. Recent studies have shown that such games increase the physical activity of their users over the short term.ObjectiveIn this study, we investigated the motivational effects of the digital game “Pokémon Go” leading to continued use or abandonment of the game. The aim of the study was to determine aspects that motivate individuals to play augmented reality exergames and how this motivation can be used to strengthen the initial interest in physical activity.MethodsA total of 199 participants completed an open self-selected Web-based survey. On the basis of their self-indicated assignment to one of three predefined user groups (active, former, and nonuser of Pokémon Go), participants answered various questions regarding game experience, physical activity, motivation, and personality as measured by the Big Five Inventory.ResultsIn total, 81 active, 56 former, and 62 nonusers of Pokémon Go were recruited. When asked about the times they perform physical activity, active users stated that they were less physically active in general than former and nonusers. However, based on a subjective rating, active users were more motivated to be physically active due to playing Pokémon Go. Motivational aspects differed for active and former users, whereas fan status was the same within both groups. Active users are more motivated by features directly related to Pokémon, such as catching all possible Pokémon and reaching higher levels, whereas former users stress the importance of general game quality, such as better augmented reality and more challenges in the game. Personality did not affect whether a person started to play Pokémon Go nor their abandonment of the game.ConclusionsThe results show various motivating elements that should be incorporated into augmented reality exergames based on the game Pokémon Go. We identified different user types for whom different features of the game contribute to maintained motivation or abandonment. Our results show aspects that augmented reality exergame designers should keep in mind to encourage individuals to start playing their game and facilitate long-term user engagement, resulting in a greater interest in physical activity.

Compulsive gaming in secondary school students from five Peruvian cities: Usage and addiction to the Pokémon GO game

“…Another relevant finding in the present study was that the students who spent more hours playing Pokémon GO had a greater addiction to other video games and made greater use of cell phone applications. Results from other studies have shown an important percentage of students addicted to video games in Peru (17), Colombia (18), Spain (19) and Singapore (20), and addicted to Internet in Peru (21). A research paper published in 2015 found a shorter time used to play video games, which was 10 to 250 minutes in 47% of men and 58% of women (17).…”

“…The results of other researchers have also shown that a greater use of the Pokémon GO game results in students receiving more reprimands from parents and due to being late to their classes. This suggests that the inappropriate use of the game can have negative consequences in the short and long term (11,21). In addition, Burgess, Stermer and Burgess (2012) found that video game players had lower average grades, but this finding varied by gender (22).…”

User Experience in Mobile Augmented Reality: Emotions, Challenges, Opportunities and Best Practices

“…This has also been identified previously by other researchers who have investigated users' overall impressions of MAR applications. For example, some Pokémon Go players believe that the AR feature of the game drains the smartphone, which may lead them to disable the AR feature [18,19]. Furthermore, MAR applications often require bodily involvement beyond mere touching.…”

“…Following our earlier work [17], UX is defined here as the emotions that the user encounters while using a service, a product or an application. An example of this is the negative emotions experienced by some Pokémon Go players when the AR feature of the game drains the smartphone battery and makes their smartphones slow [18,19].…”

The Emperor’s New Augmented Clothes. Digital Objects as Part of the Every Day

“…For example, one of the most famous applications for mobile devices is Pokémon GO by Niantic (http://www.pokemongo.com/ accessed on 13 October 2017, [8][9][10][11]). This application generates Pokémon all around the subject to be visualised through the screen of a mobile device which merges the image of the surroundings captured by a camera and the digital image of a Pokémon.…”