"It Should Be a Game for Fun, Not Exercise": Tensions in Designing Health-Related Features for Pokémon GO

Abstract

Leveraging existing popular games such as Pokemon GO to promote health can engage people in healthy activities without sacrificing gaming appeal. However, little is known about what potential tensions arise from incorporating new health-related features to already existing and popular games and how to resolve those tensions from players' perspectives. In this paper, we identify design tensions surrounding the appeals of Pokemon GO, perspectives on different health needs, and mobile health technologies. By conducting surveys and design workshops with 20 avid Pokemon GO players, we demonstrate four design tensions: (1) diverse goals and rewards vs. data accuracy, (2) strong bonds between players and characters vs. gaming obsession, (3) collaborative play vs. social anxiety, and (4) connection of in-real-life experiences with the game vs. different individual contexts. We provide design implications to resolve these tensions in Pokemon GO and discuss how to extend our findings to the broader context of health promotion in location-based games.