Catch them all and increase your place attachment! The role of location-based augmented reality games in changing people - place relations

Abstract

We examined how playing a game employing augmented reality (AR) technology increases attachment to the place of playing. Place attachment refers to the relationship between people and places, which has numerous benefits for individual well-being. Popular location-based AR games often include elements that are known to predict place attachment: exploration, social relations or the experience of enjoyment in a place. We argue that positive emotions triggered by playing can influence players’ place attachment via the process of gamification. We tested this hypothesis in a correlational study conducted among Pokémon Go players. Our analyses showed that satisfaction from playing and the social relations made during play positively predict place attachment, but the amount of time spent on playing does not. A series of mediation analyses showed that relations among game satisfaction, social relations, and place attachment were mediated by the appraisal of the place as exciting. This study demonstrated a mechanism of emotional transfer between positive experiences from playing and place attachment, which may prove useful in other domains, such as education, land conservation, or marketing.