The race to escape: Location-based escapism and physical activity as a motivator in the consumption of the AR game Pokémon Go

Abstract

This research examines motives for engagement in Augmented Reality (AR) games. The research field examined in this study was Pokémon Go, due to the game’s rapid rise in popularity. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with 35 Pokémon Go players. The theoretical framework guiding this study is the uses and gratifications theory, which deals with media consumers’ uses of various media and content types to satisfy psychological and social needs (Ruggiero, 2000). Pokémon Go satisfies diverse player needs, and players’ main uses of the game are related to escapism, social interaction, and challenging others. The study revealed multiple motivations for playing Pokémon Go, which were consistent with previous research, and identified two additional motivations of Pokémon Go players, which are also applicable to AR use in general: increased physical activity and location-dependent escapism integrated into everyday activities outside the home. This consumption pattern is apparently part of the revolution of data accessibility online and on mobile phones, which also function as social means for satisfying needs for entertainment, escapism, and highly accessible information.

Selected Behaviors and Addiction Risk Among Users of Urban Multimedia Games

“…In the study, passion for gaming was strongly associated with motives of escapism and boredom ( Wattanapisit et al, 2018 ). Consistent with previous results, playing online games to escape real-life problems may lead to problematic use ( Laor, 2020 ). Therefore, gamers who engage in urban games to escape from reality may be at risk of developing problematic gaming behaviors.…”

“…Future studies should include young people (school-aged children and adolescents), as many studies show that such individuals are more likely to develop addictions related to widely available electronic devices and software ( Whang et al, 2003 ; Laor, 2020 ). Despite this, the study described in this paper did not choose to do so because it is difficult to recruit such a group via the Internet (forums and newsgroups), and such people are often characterized by short-term interest and do not constitute a group of regular players of urban games ( Yen et al, 2008 ).…”

Young Adults’ Perspectives on the Implications of an Augmented Reality Mobile Game for Communities’ Public Health: A Qualitative Study

“…In terms of the social, psychological, and physical impacts of gaming addiction, multiple effects on health are noted in the literature (7,9,12,17,(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). On the one hand, depression can be alleviated by such engagement, and the benefits of physical exercise can mitigate Type 2 diabetes and reduce the issues caused by obesity (9,(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29).…”