Developing a novel psychographic-behavioral qualitative mapping method for exergames

Abstract

Location-based augmented reality games, used in several smartphone devices, have the potential to improve health outcomes by transforming gaming from a sedentary leisure pursuit to an active leisure pursuit thus having positive physical, psychological and social implications. We consider two games, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Pokémon GO, by qualitatively mapping both psychographic and behavioral data to profile groups of players to fully understand how we can better design location-based augmented reality exergames to improve exercise and health. Data was collected through an online open-ended, text-box survey (proforma) hosted on Qualtrics, with participants reached via virtual snowballing. The proforma was posted on four subreddit forums dedicated to Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Pokémon GO for two weeks, and 1052 participants responded. Our study aligns with a deductive category application, with all highlighted excerpts coded using a predetermined coding scheme. Overall, three themes were identified: 1) Player Loyalty, 2) Player Involvement and 3) Player Constraints. We conclude that psychographic constraints experienced can negatively influence player preference and behavior. However, psychographic enablers such as player involvement with the franchise and player loyalty toward the brand can act to sustain continued gameplay across different player types and should not be underestimated as a powerful influence in decision-making, choice behavior, and behavior change (to improve exercise and health).