A Review of Location-based Games: Do They All Support Exercise, Social Interaction and Cartographical Training?

Samuli Laato, Tarja Pietarinen, Sampsa Rauti, Mauri Paloheimo, Nobufumi Inaba, Erkki Sutinen

2019

Abstract

Studies on location-based games ubiquitously report positive learning outcomes for the players. Particularly these games are shown to promote exercise, encourage to social interaction and increase geographical and cartographical knowledge. To find out whether these positive effects are game-specific or characteristic to all location-based games, we conduct a software search for available location-based games on iOS and Android platforms and evaluate if and how exercise, cartographical training and social interaction are supported. Based on our results we were able to identify six sub-genres of location-based games, and the positive effects associated with each genre. The most popular category in terms of number of games was scavenger hunts and the most popular category in terms of active installs on Android and iOS was location-based MMORPG’s. Presence of factors associated with immersion and mixed reality were paired with the popularity and positive outcomes of the games. Cartographical practise, social interaction and exercise were supported the most in the location-based MMORPG sub-genre, to which, for example, Pokémon GO belongs to.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Laato S., Pietarinen T., Rauti S., Paloheimo M., Inaba N. and Sutinen E. (2019). A Review of Location-based Games: Do They All Support Exercise, Social Interaction and Cartographical Training?.In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 1: CSEDU, ISBN 978-989-758-367-4, pages 616-627. DOI: 10.5220/0007801206160627

in Bibtex Style

@conference{csedu19,
author={Samuli Laato and Tarja Pietarinen and Sampsa Rauti and Mauri Paloheimo and Nobufumi Inaba and Erkki Sutinen},
title={A Review of Location-based Games: Do They All Support Exercise, Social Interaction and Cartographical Training?},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 1: CSEDU,},
year={2019},
pages={616-627},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0007801206160627},
isbn={978-989-758-367-4},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 1: CSEDU,
TI - A Review of Location-based Games: Do They All Support Exercise, Social Interaction and Cartographical Training?
SN - 978-989-758-367-4
AU - Laato S.
AU - Pietarinen T.
AU - Rauti S.
AU - Paloheimo M.
AU - Inaba N.
AU - Sutinen E.
PY - 2019
SP - 616
EP - 627
DO - 10.5220/0007801206160627