The Praise and Price of Pokémon GO: A Qualitative Study of Children’s and Parents’ Experiences

Abstract

BackgroundPhysical activity has multiple health benefits; however, the majority of children around the world do not attain the recommended levels of daily physical activity. Research has shown that the game Poké mon GO has increased the amount of physical activity of players and that the game has the potential to reach populations that traditionally have low levels of physical activity. Therefore, there is a need to understand which game components can promote initial and sustained physical activity. By using a qualitative research approach, it is possible to achieve rich descriptions and enhance a deep understanding of the components promoting physical activity among children in a game such as Poké mon GO.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to explore children’s and parents’ experiences playing Poké mon GO.MethodsEight families comprising 13 children (aged 7-12 years) and 9 parents were selected using purposeful sampling. Data collected using focus groups were analyzed using qualitative latent content analysis.ResultsThe following three themes were revealed: (1) exciting and enjoyable exploration; (2) dangers and disadvantages; and (3) cooperation conquers competition. The first centers around the present and possible future aspects of Poké mon GO that promote physical activity. The second focuses on unwanted aspects and specific threats to safety when playing the game. The third shows that cooperation and togetherness are highly valued by the participants and that competition is fun but less important.ConclusionsComponents from Poké mon GO could enhance the efficacy of physical activity interventions. Cooperation and exploration are aspects of the game that preferably could be transferred into interventions aimed at promoting children’s physical activity.

Maintenance of behaviour change following a community-wide gamification based physical activity intervention

“…Harris and Crone (2018) conducted focus groups with 28 adult Beat the Street players post-intervention and found there were 4 alternative themes pertinent to the ways participants took part in the game, these were game reinvention, altering the game to suit individual ideas and preferences (such as role playing); social influence, taking part in an activity with or for family, friends and/or colleagues; exploration, which involved discovering the local area, finding new routes and greenspaces and orienteering to ‘collect’ ‘Beat Boxes’ and collective extrinsic reward, where players were motived by collective, rather than individual gain (for example, money for charity). Elsewhere, Lindqvist et al (2018) with a study including 8 families, identified 2 themes pertaining to engagement with Pokémon GO. Firstly, the participant's recognised the positive benefits associated with gameplay and described the game as increasing outdoor physical activity and therefore parents and children encouraged each other to player along.…”

Pokémon GO and Physical Activity in Asia: Multilevel Study

“…Studies using self-reported data indicated that players spent more time outside and performed more physical exercise because of Pokémon GO [ 23 - 26 ]. Other research included studies on Pokémon GO players’ motivations [ 27 , 28 ], experiences while playing Pokémon GO [ 29 ], and potential adverse effects associated with playing Pokémon GO [ 30 , 31 ].…”

Experiences of Prospective Physical Education Teachers on Active Gaming within the Context of School-Based Physical Activity

“…Beyond the technology used, the variety of games and materials in the program came to the fore as a powerful factor in ensuring the integrity of the program. Studies on this topic indicate that various physical activities and games for school-age children also diversify targets and enable children to become more active (Lindqvist, Castelli, Hallberg, and Rutberg, 2018;Prichard, 2012;Schoenau-Fog, 2011).…”