ABSTRACT

Pokémon Go offers an important locus for understanding how location-based mobile gaming practices interconnect with urban mobility and the materialities of urban spaces. Yet, most of the literature on location-based mobile games overlooks the specific materialities that influence gameplay in Global South cities. These are worth considering, given that Pokémon Go requires players to move through their environment with access to both a mobile smartphone and network connection. These prerequisites pose challenges to players because in some Global South cities players experience difficult mobilities, precarious access to technologies, and inconsistent networked connections. To explore these issues, we offer a qualitative study about Pokémon Go gameplay in two large Global South cities: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Nairobi (Kenya). We have chosen these two cities because of their similar social, infrastructural, and economic inequalities. Based on interviews with Pokémon Go players, we explore how these inequalities shape the interconnections between location-based gameplay, mobile phone use, and urban mobilities. We found out that players often contend with urban challenges by adopting a number of practices, unique to their local context, to successfully play the game. These practices include collaborating and caring for others during and outside gameplay and adjusting their mobilities to preserve networked connections. Our study contributes an understanding of how players, in these cities, respond to their material circumstances in order to play the game and care for each other. We also offer a framework for understanding location-based gameplay outside Global North contexts.

摘要

《PokémonGo》为理解基于位置的移动游戏实践如何与城市移动性和城市空间的物质性相互联系提供了重要的场所。但是，有关基于位置的手机游戏的大多数文献都忽略了影响全球南方城市游戏玩法的特定重要性。考虑到《PokémonGo》要求玩家在访问移动智能手机和网络连接的同时穿越环境，因此值得考虑。这些先决条件给玩家带来了挑战，因为在一些全球南方城市中，玩家会遇到困难的机动性，不稳定的技术访问以及不稳定的网络连接。为了探索这些问题，我们对全球两个大型南方城市：巴西的里约热内卢和肯尼亚的内罗毕进行了关于《神奇宝贝Go》游戏玩法的定性研究。我们之所以选择这两个城市，是因为它们在社会，基础设施和经济上的不平等程度相似。根据对《PokémonGo》玩家的采访，我们探索了这些不平等如何塑造基于位置的游戏玩法，手机使用和城市交通之间的联系。我们发现，玩家经常通过采用适合当地情况的多种实践来成功应对游戏，从而应对城市挑战。这些做法包括在游戏玩法中和游戏外进行协作和照顾他人，并调整他们的活动能力以保持网络联系。我们的研究有助于理解这些城市中的玩家如何应对自己的物质环境，以便玩游戏并互相照顾。