Since 1996, the Pokemon franchise has become a significant part of the childhood of many people. The experience of collecting every possible Pokemon has captivated the minds of children and adults around the world. On July 6, 2016, what was once a game only experienced through small Nintendo devices changed forever. The creation of Pokemon Go changed the way people could interact with the Pokemon universe, using Augmented Reality technology to place the superpowered creatures all over the world. The question is how do gamified technologies like this change the way people interact with the environment around them. Orlando Woods, Professor of Geography, Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Programmes), and Director of the SMU Urban Institute speaks to us about his research on the transformative effects of AR mobile games on society and space.

Q: Your research talks about the transformative effects of AR mobile games on society and space. What does this mean in layman terms?

Professor Orlando Woods: AR mobile games encourage their players to see places and people differently. For example, mundane places that we might not give much attention to during daily life – like bus stops, grass verges, or storm drains – can be brought to life when playing these games as they impose a layer of playfulness on the city. In the case of Pokemon Go, the game embeds Pokemon in public spaces, which players then attempt to catch. The overall effect is one of making the city more playful, interactive, and therefore interesting.

Q: How does the gamification of public areas, in the way Pokémon Go does, get players to engage with these places and each other?

Professor Orlando Woods: The slogan for the Pokemon franchise is “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”, meaning the logic of collecting Pokemon is integral to the game mechanics. To collect Pokemon, players need to travel around the city and visit places where Pokemon are located in order to catch them. The competitive nature of the game as players race with each other to collect an otherwise finite resource shapes how players engage with these places, and with each other at these places.

Q: Why is the gamification of public areas important?

Professor Orlando Woods: It’s important because it changes the way people engage with the city. It gets people to go outside, and it gets people visiting places they might not otherwise visit. It causes the city to come to life, as the game imposes a new layer of meaning and interactivity on the built environment. Playful urbanism like this is important as it provides a new channel through which people can engage with the city, new ways in which they can attribute meaning to otherwise meaningless places, and new ways in which they can create experiential value for themselves and others.

Q: What are the ethical considerations surrounding the use of AR games in public spaces, particularly in relation to privacy, surveillance, and accessibility?

Professor Orlando Woods: Many! Like any good game, AR games can encourage us to do things we might not ordinarily do. In the case of Pokemon Go, the game can nudge players to trespass on private property, to take unnecessary risks when accessing certain public spaces, to visit places at strange or unwanted times of the day, and so on. Players can get so absorbed in the game that they lose sight of common sense. In some ways this is a massive endorsement of the effectiveness of the game interface and playing mechanics. But in other ways it raises important questions about how these games might be imposing new and unwritten rules on the navigation of public spaces, and how they might, as a result, be better regulated by game developers, governments, and also by their communities of players.

Q: How can other businesses or groups implement AR gamification?

Professor Orlando Woods: Gamification has potentially significant consequences for businesses that are consumer-facing. For example, AR mobile games can dictate movement patterns and can therefore, bring foot traffic to shops and restaurants. Indeed, businesses can buy “lures” to attract Pokemon and, therefore, potential customers to them. To do so effectively, businesses need to think of how the experiential value of games like Pokemon Go might be integrated with their business and brand strategies to maximise the payoffs. Without such alignment, they will struggle to convert players to paying customers. One example to look at could be Times Bookstore, which did something similar in 2016.

Q: Can AR games influence the design of future urban environments?

Professor Orlando Woods: I don’t think AR games will go so far as to influence urban design itself. If anything, they might make urban design less important as they open up pathways for alternative “designs” on the environment to emerge and flourish. I think the abiding principle of any good design should be that it should help to shape the experience and perception of the city. In this sense, AR games will not – and should not – influence the design of future urban environments. Rather, they offer new ways through which urban design can be experienced and ideally appreciated.

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