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The Pandemic as a Catalyst for Reimagining the Foundations of Location-Based Games

Authors:

Arpita Bhattacharya,

Travis W. Windleharth,

Amulya Paramasivam,

Julie A. Kientz,

Jin Ha LeeAuthors Info & Claims

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 5, Issue CHI PLAY

Article No.: 280, Pages 1 - 25

https://doi.org/10.1145/3474707

Published: 06 October 2021 Publication History

Abstract

Mainstream location-based games (LBGs) highlight three foundations-exercise, exploration, and social interaction-which were hugely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This genre has already had access issues depending on the player's region, identity, ability, and technology, which the pandemic also amplified. Thus, the pandemic provided a unique opportunity to re-imagine the design of LBGs to preserve player benefits while challenging these foundations. We conducted a two-week diary study with 11 LBG players coping with difficult life circumstances, followed by remote co-design sessions. Participants continued to play primarily to maintain community connection while adjusting the mode of socialization, finding meaning through virtual exploration, and support mental health and personal growth. Participants discussed ways to enhance the experience by expanding the range of physical activities during social distancing, reimagining proximity-based social interactions, and exploring via social construction of places while expanding beyond how the three foundations are currently supported in LBGs.

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Cited By

Clark MSingh ABarbareschi G(2023)Towards Greater Inclusion and Accessibility for Physically Disabled Players in Location-Based GamesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36110467:CHI PLAY(699-720)Online publication date: 4-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3611046
Warren JAntle AKitson ADavoodi A(2023)A codesign study exploring needs, strategies, and opportunities for digital health platforms to address pandemic-related impacts on children and familiesInternational Journal of Child-Computer Interaction10.1016/j.ijcci.2023.10059637:COnline publication date: 1-Sep-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.ijcci.2023.100596
Saaty MHaqq DBeyki MHassan TMcCrickard D(2022)Pokémon GO with Social Distancing: Social Media Analysis of Players' Experiences with Location-based GamesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/35495126:CHI PLAY(1-22)Online publication date: 31-Oct-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3549512
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

The Pandemic as a Catalyst for Reimagining the Foundations of Location-Based Games
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Empirical studies in HCI

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cover image Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction Volume 5, Issue CHI PLAY

CHI PLAY

September 2021

1535 pages

EISSN:2573-0142

DOI:10.1145/3490463

Editors:
Kathrin Gerling
KU Leuven
,
Elisa Mekler
Aalto University
,
Regan Mandryk
University of Saskatchewan

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Copyright © 2021 Owner/Author.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License.

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Published: 06 October 2021

Published in PACMHCI Volume 5, Issue CHI PLAY

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Cited By

Clark MSingh ABarbareschi G(2023)Towards Greater Inclusion and Accessibility for Physically Disabled Players in Location-Based GamesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36110467:CHI PLAY(699-720)Online publication date: 4-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3611046
Warren JAntle AKitson ADavoodi A(2023)A codesign study exploring needs, strategies, and opportunities for digital health platforms to address pandemic-related impacts on children and familiesInternational Journal of Child-Computer Interaction10.1016/j.ijcci.2023.10059637:COnline publication date: 1-Sep-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.ijcci.2023.100596
Saaty MHaqq DBeyki MHassan TMcCrickard D(2022)Pokémon GO with Social Distancing: Social Media Analysis of Players' Experiences with Location-based GamesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/35495126:CHI PLAY(1-22)Online publication date: 31-Oct-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3549512
Bhattacharya ALee JYip JKientz J(2022)Life goes on with PokémonXRDS: Crossroads, The ACM Magazine for Students10.1145/349526728:2(70-75)Online publication date: 10-Jan-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3495267
Ringland KBhattacharya AWeatherwax KEagle TWolf C(2022)ARMY’s Magic Shop: Understanding the Collaborative Construction of Playful Places in Online CommunitiesProceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3491102.3517442(1-19)Online publication date: 29-Apr-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3491102.3517442
Meksumphun KKerdvibulvech C(2022)A New Study of Needs and Motivations Generated by Virtual Reality Games and Factor Products for Generation Z in BangkokIntelligent Systems and Pattern Recognition10.1007/978-3-031-08277-1_3(29-42)Online publication date: 17-Jun-2022
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08277-1_3
Kerdvibulvech C(2022)Exploring the Impacts of COVID-19 on Digital and Metaverse GamesHCI International 2022 Posters10.1007/978-3-031-06391-6_69(561-565)Online publication date: 16-Jun-2022
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06391-6_69
Laato SRauti S(2021)When Player Communities Revolt Against the Developer: A Study of Pokémon GO and Diablo ImmortalSoftware Business10.1007/978-3-030-91983-2_15(194-201)Online publication date: 25-Nov-2021
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91983-2_15

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