Injustice in Mobile Leisure: A Conceptual Exploration of Pokémon Go

Abstract

In augmented reality, video games and the physical world converge as individuals participate in digital leisure overlaid on physical spaces. In Pokémon Go, game play in the physical world is impacted by constraints that limit access and play of marginalized groups. Global popularity of Pokémon Go created an opportunity to explore experiences of marginalized groups participating in augmented reality game play. Grey literature surrounding Pokémon Go is rich with accounts of constraints experienced by marginalized groups, particularly individuals self-identifying as White women, Black women, or Black men. Their experiences with Pokémon Go illustrate the need for social justice in digital leisure. Because the lifespan of mobile applications is limited, the gradual process from research to social change may be insufficient in addressing ever evolving digital platforms. Researchers need to strategically work with industry partners to identify needs for social justice during the planning and designing stages.

Virtual nexus: Female players’ emotional attachment in a role-playing video game

“…Previous studies on female players primarily focused on discrimination in the game, with the idea that leisure scholars should be aware of social justice (Schultz and McKeown, 2018). Layland et al (2018) asserted that marginalized groups faced the same limits in gaming as they experienced in real life. Xue et al (2019) found that female participants in esports still faced gender discrimination.…”

‘What’s my score?’: the complexities of straight male Geo-Social Networking Application use

“…Hegemonic masculinity, as a set of rules and social expectations, dictates important sex, power, and relationship roles for men (Duncanson, 2015;Szabo, 2014). Changing social norms notwithstanding, traditional masculine roles of provider, leader, and 'king of the castle' remain influential in the dating lives of men (Kimmel, 2017), and young men continue to enact the troubling gendered promiscuity dualism of male 'studs' and female 'sluts' (Flood, 2013;Lai & Hynie, 2011). As a result, men are confronted with both calls to enact masculinities in new ways reflexive of changing social norms, and deep western traditionalism of misogynistic and patriarchal actions.…”

Productive play: The shift from responsible consumption to responsible production

“…Hjorth and Richardson’s (2017) collection of short commentaries balances the pro-social and generative affordances of AR gameplay with a number of critical interventions, including how players use mobile interfaces to avoid social interaction (Humphreys, 2017); the corporate appropriation of public space (Sicart, 2017), surveillance and asymmetric visibility between players and Niantic (de Souza e Silva, 2017), and locative inequalities in physical space (Salen Tekinbaş, 2017). Other critical work shows how marginalized populations do not experience the same freedom of mobility and positive interactions as non-marginalized players (Layland et al, 2018). For the most part, however, journalistic and scholarly writing on Pokémon Go is overwhelmingly positive, celebrating how the game produces healthy bodies and social ties.…”