Innovations and the Way to Success
End-users Perspectives on Augmented Reality
Type of paper: Master Thesis Contract number: 13840
Name: Camilla Trinh Student number: 91818
Programme: MSc Business Administration and Information Systems Profile: IT Management and Business Economics
Date of submission: 15th of May 2019 Supervisor: Torkil Clemmensen
Number of Characters and Pages: 164.079 and 72
Abstract
This study investigates the success of the mobile app game Pokémon GO by analyzing its perceived attributes of innovation and the use of it hereof. The Five Perceived Attributes of innovation by Rogers (1983) and the concepts relevant social groups and interpretive flexibility from SCOT are being used to study the phenomenon of interest. Through semi-structured interviews, data is collected and analyzed for the purpose of this research. The focus is on active players of Pokémon GO as they have insider knowledge about the game and are a relevant social group in relation to the research question: “How do the interpretive flexibility combined with the attributes of a technological innovation influence its adoption rate?” The findings suggest that there are differences in how the technological innovation itself is being perceived by potential adopters and how the use of the innovation is being perceived by potential adopters. The study shows how the importance of the success of an innovation lies within the perceived use of it.
Pokémon GO became a successful mobile app game due it being a part of a known franchise, including many facets and aspects appealing to the potential adopters, including social aspects and physical activity aspects. Furthermore, the ways the technological innovation can be perceived in both the technology itself and the use of it are proven to be of crucial importance for the adoption rate.
Table of Contents 4. Introduction
5. Research Domain 12. Analytical Framework 15. Methodology
24. Case Description 27. Analysis
27. Relative Advantage 37. Subconclusion 38. Compatability 42. Subconclusion 43. Complexity 48. Subconclusion 50. Trialability 52: Subconclusion 52. Observability 57. Subconclusion
58. Relevant Social Groups 65. Subconclusion
66. Interpretive Flexibility 74. Subconclusion
75. Discussion 80. Conclusion 82. References 87. Appendices
Introduction
Pokémon GO became a global hit back when it was released in 2016. Back then, the user count was a stunning 45 million players globally. The game has since earned the title as one of the most successful mobile app games of all time (Chamary, 2018).
In 2018, the user count was 147 million monthly active users and Pokémon GO claimed the position as the game that dominates the location-based category, claiming a 84 percent of the market share in terms of downloads and 92 percent in terms of revenue (Iqbal, 2019).
Augmented Reality (AR) was one of the main keywords whenever Pokémon GO was mentioned in the media. The creators behind the game, Niantic, according to several newspapers were leading the AR ship in the gaming industry. The campaign that started it all showed how a player can get the Pokémon Trainer experience and catch Pokémons while walking around in the real nature, creating the AR experience that appealed to many players.
The success of Pokémon GO exceeded all of Niantic’s expectations. In this paper, the focus is on how this success of the game came to be in the first place and how the game remains successful to this day. This paper examines the game Pokémon GO’s attributes and the users perceptions of them, hereunder how they use the game, by answering the following question:
● How do the interpretive flexibility combined with the attributes of a technological innovation influence its adoption rate?
By looking at the attributes, the purpose is to see how the technology in itself and the users perceptions of it hereof influences the adoption rate. By looking at the interpretive flexibility of the game, the purpose is to see how the users perceptions of their use of the game influences its adoption rate.
The case study of Pokémon GO is relevant as the technology of Augmented Reality is increasing in popularity and getting increasingly noticed as a technological tool by companies. To see how it is used in this aspect can shed light on some of the possibilities there are with AR. Additionally, the success of Pokémon GO exceeded Niantics expectations and to analyze how it came to be, the findings can help influence future innovations’ rate of adoption in a positive way.
Research domain A review of literature
“We live in a technological culture” - Wiebe E. Bijker (2001).
In this section, the research domain will be explored in order to understand the case in this paper and the terminology behind it, along with previously discussed literature by other researchers in the same field. By looking at existing literature within the research domain, the terminology and concepts utilized will be explained to further the understanding of the purposes of this paper.
Firstly, the rate of adoption of technological innovations will be explained to understand the broader picture of this paper. Thereafter, an explanation of the terminology augmented reality (AR) will be provided, as AR is a subcategory under the category of technological innovation, to highlight how AR come into play in this research. Lastly, an in depth look is taken into the birth of the concept of interpretive flexibility, including the concept of relevant social groups, as these two concepts are closely intertwined; although the emphasis will be on the interpretive flexibility of technological artifacts. In parallel with the explanations of terminologies, a partial literature review will take place based on existing studies to examine and explore the relevant fields.
Adoption and Diffusion - and its importance for innovations
The process of adopting new innovations has been studied for over 40 years. One of the most popular adoption models is described by Everett M. Rogers in his book
‘Diffusion of Innovations’ from 1995; another is one similar to Rogers, it is the Technology Acceptance Model by Davis (1989) which includes the two constructs of 1) Perceived Usefulness, and 2) Perceived Ease of Use. As they both remind of Rogers’ (1983) attributes relative advantage and complexity, the Technology
Acceptance Model will not be used. Rogers’ (1983) Five Perceived Attributes will be used to do it covering a broader scope.
A great amount of research from a broad range of disciplines has used the Rogers (1983) model as framework and among these are disciplines such as political science, public health, communications, history, economics, technology, and education. Rogers’ theory is defined as a widely utilized theoretical framework in the area of technology diffusion and adoption (Sahin, 2006). Adoption is according to Rogers a decision of full use of an innovation as the best course action available and rejection is a decision not to adopt an innovation (Sahin, 2006). Much research about diffusion involves technological innovations; resulting in Roger’s using the words ‘technology’ and ‘innovation’ as synonyms.
Innovation is defined by Rogers (2003) as “an idea, practice, or project that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption” (p.12). According to this definition, if individuals perceive an innovation as new, even if it was invented a long time ago, then it can still be an innovation for them (Sahin, 2006).
A part of Rogers (2003) framework for adoption and diffusion is the ‘innovation- decision process’. The process is described as “an information-seeking and information-processing activity, where an individual is motivated to reduce uncertainty about the advantages and disadvantages of an innovation” (Rogers, 2003:172). The innovation-decision process involves five steps: 1) knowledge, 2) persuasion, 3) decision, 4) implementation, and 5) confirmation. These stages typically follow each order in a chronological and time-ordered manner (Sahin, 2006). Additionally, Rogers (1995) proposes some attributes of innovation in order to support the innovation-decision process and reduce uncertainty about the innovation. These attributes of innovation includes five characteristics and are the following: 1) relative advantage, 2) compatibility, 3) complexity, 4) trialability, and 5) observability (Rogers, 1995). The “individual’s perception of these characteristics predict the rate of adoption of innovations” (Rogers, 2003:219).
As noted by Rogers, there is a lot of diffusion research on the characteristics of the adopter categories; although there is a lack of research on the effects of the perceived characteristics of innovations on the rate of adoption (Sahin, 2006).
Some of the research that has utilized Rogers framework for adoption and diffusion is Sherry and Gibson (2002) in their research ‘The path to teacher leadership in educational technology. Contemporary issues in technology and teacher education’. Sherry and Gibson (2002) compared two of the most popular adoption models: Rogers’ (1995) ‘diffusion of innovations’ and Hall and Hord’s (1987) ‘Change in schools’. Focusing on the educational field, they identified limitations within the two traditional adoption models and how these must be extended and modified and proposed that Systems Theory, Activity Theory, and Information Ecologies can
“offer some refreshing alternative viewpoints that can be used to develop models that have both explanatory power and predictive power” (Sherry & Gibson, 2002).
Another research utilizing Rogers’ (1995) diffusion of innovations has been done by Kim E. Dooley (1999) in his paper ‘Towards a holistic model for the diffusion of educational technologies: An integrative review of educational innovation studies’, where he focuses on education technologies. The research focuses on adoption of educational technologies in school and how innovation research can help explain the adoption process in schools.
William D. Stuart, Tracy Callaway Russo, Howard E. Sypher, Thelma E. Simons, and Lisa K. Hallberg’s paper ‘Influences of sources of communication on adoption of a communication technology’ examines the influence of sources of information on end-users’ decision to adopt an innovation by utilizing Rogers’ (1995) diffusion of innovations combined with the work of Fulk, Lewis, Seibold, and Weenig on the influences of information sources on adoption. Their results show how diffusion of technological innovation may be different from diffusion on non-technological innovations.
Technological Innovation - Augmented Reality (AR)
As the technology of Augmented Reality (AR) has risen in popularity among technological innovations the past years and is becoming more widely used by organizations worldwide, it is interesting to explore and see how AR is being used in different cases.
As stated by Azuma (1997) Augmented Reality (AR) is defined as the following:
“Augmented Reality (AR) is a variation of Virtual Environments (VE), or Virtual Reality as it is more commonly called. VE technologies completely immerse a user inside a synthetic environment. While immersed, the user cannot see the real world around him. In contrast, AR allows the user to see the real world, with virtual objects superimposed upon or composited with the real world” (p.2).
Other definitions of AR include: “Augmented Reality (AR) is an innovative human- machine interaction that overlays virtual components on a real world environment with many potential applications in different fields, ranging from training activities to everyday life” (Dille & Dalle, 2015).
In other words, AR supplements reality rather than replacing it: “AR enhances the user’s perception of and interaction of real world” (Azuma, 1997:3). The technology helps the user through virtual objects that display information, which the user cannot directly detect with his or her own senses (ibid.). The information presented and conveyed by the virtual objects with AR can help a user perform real-world tasks (ibid.).
With time, AR has been adopted more and more by different fields and many applications have been developed, including medical visualization, maintenance and repair, annotation, robot path planning, entertainment, and military aircraft navigation and targeting (Azuma, 1997).
In the field of healthcare, doctors can utilize AR as a visualization training aid for surgery as an example. Moreover, AR can be used in manufacturing and repair for training in assembling, maintaining, and repairing complex machinery (Azuma, 1997). Not mentioned by Azuma (1997), AR can now also be successfully utilized in the gaming industry, as seen with the mobile game Pokémon GO, which utilizes AR.
AR can be used for many purposes as mentioned above, but the focus will be on Pokémon GO, which will be explained in the case description later on in this paper.
Interpretive Flexibility and Relevant Social Groups
The notion of ‘interpretive flexibility’ came to exist around four decades ago due to the rise of social constructivism. Since then, the term of interpretive flexibility has been utilized and interpreted in different ways by researchers.
Back in the 1970’s and 1980’s, “detailed empirical research on the practices of scientists and engineers led to the formulation of a constructivist perspective on science and technology” (Bijker, 2001:24). The works by historians, sociologists, and philosophers became known under the banners of ‘Sociology of Scientific Knowledge’ (SSK), ‘Empirical Programme of Relativism’ (EPOR) - which was developed under SSK, and ‘Social Construction Of Technology’ (SCOT), which was developed under sociology of technology (Bijker et. al., 1987). The notion of
‘interpretive flexibility’ was announced around this time as a term describing how the interpretations of research are flexible and can be interpreted differently based on the different contexts. Findings and knowledge in scientific research often come up as either answer ‘A’ or ‘B’, but SSK-researchers are able to show that other readings of observations and propositions are possible through the term of interpretive flexibility (Bijker, 2001). This does not equal that “scientific knowledge is irrational, or disorderly, or unrelated to scientific experiments” (Bijker, 2001:25), it is to say that scientific findings are neither true nor false, or equals conclusion ‘A’ nor ‘B’.
They are subjected to the particular context in which the research has been conducted and can have multiple interpretations. Meaning in other contexts, the results or findings of the research may not have been the same as the previous, as it is subjected to the notion interpretive flexibility.
Announced by Harry Collins in the 1980’s, The Empirical Programme of Relativism (EPOR) involves three stages (Researchgate, 2019), where the first of stages in the explanatory aims can be identified as the interpretive flexibility. As a part of the banner of SSK, the definition of the term interpretive flexibility falls similar to its scientific area. The first stage of interpretive flexibility is to demonstrate how experimental data and scientific findings in research can be interpreted in different ways; the interpretations are flexible, thus the term of interpretive flexibility came to life. In other words “it is shown that scientific findings are open to more than one interpretation. This shifts the focus for the explanation of scientific developments from the natural world to the social world” (Bijker et. al., 1987). The EPOR represents sociologists’ continuing effort to understand the content of the natural sciences in terms of social construction (ibid.).
Building on the SSK work, “sociological and historical stories have developed a constructivist analysis of technology in contrast to the standard image of technology that was largely technological determinist” (Bijker, 2001:26). Wiebe E.
Bijker (2001) explains that “social shaping models stress that technology does not follow its own momentum nor a rational goal-directed problem-solving path but is instead shaped by social factors” (p.26).
SCOT includes the concepts of ‘interpretive flexibility’ and ‘relevant social groups’.
In the first stage of the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT), interpretive flexibility is, unlike the aforementioned frameworks, explaining how “technological artifacts are culturally constructed and interpreted; in other words, the interpretive flexibility of a technological artifact must be shown” (Bijker et. al., 1987). By this meaning that not only the flexibility in how people think of or interpret artifacts is to
be focused on, but also the flexibility in how the artifact is designed (ibid.). Bijker, Hughes and Pinch (1987) emphasizes that there is not only one possible or best way to design an artifact; as the term of ‘relevant social groups’ is linked with the term of
‘interpretive flexibility’. Relevant social groups are groups consisting of people with similarities among interpretations of technology (Sahay and Robey, 1996).
Additionally, relevant social groups are defined as groups that through the eyes of its members describes technical artifacts in a similar fashion: “the interactions within and among relevant social groups can give different meanings to the same” (Bijker, 2001:26). These meanings of the technical artifacts demonstrates the meaning of interpretive flexibility. Thus interpretive flexibility, as stated by Wiebe E. Bijker (2001)
“is a crucial step in arguing for the feasibility of any sociology of technology” (p.26).
It illustrates how neither the artifact’s identity nor its technical failure or success are intrinsic properties of the artifact; it is rather subject to social variables and describes how artifacts are indeed socially constructed (ibid.). Furthermore, relevant social groups are relevant for understanding the development of technology (Bijker, 1995).
As explained by Wiebe E. Bijker, Thomas P. Hughes and Trevor J. Pinch (1987), the SCOT model “has been developed from a series of case studies and not from purely philosophical or theoretical analysis” (p.39). Its primary function is heuristic; as it is to bring out all the aspects relevant to the purposes. It does more than just describing the technological development. It further highlights its multidirectional character as as model where the the development process of a technological artifact is an alternation of variation and selection (ibid.).
Both the first stage of EPOR and SCOT involves the concept of interpretive flexibility. Although in the context of this paper, the definition of the concept provided by SCOT will be the baseline as it revolves about technological artifact, which is relevant to the case. This will be explained further in the analytical
framework.
Analytical Framework
Interpretive Flexibility and Relevant Social Groups
According to the SCOT model, interpretive flexibility demonstrates how technological artifacts are socially constructed and interpreted. In other words “the interpretive flexibility of a technological artifact must be shown” (Bijker et. al., 1987).
Meaning there is not only flexibility in how people think of or interpret technological artifacts, but there is also a flexibility in how the technological artifact is designed.
The analytic strategy herof is interpretation. Simultaneously, the interpretations of the interviewees is phenomenon being studied in this paper. These interpretations come from different relevant social groups, which can be organizations and institutions as well as organized and unorganized groups of individuals (Sahay & Robey, 1996). The concept of relevant social groups shows how different social groups of people have radically different interpretations of one technological artifacts (Bijker et. al., 1987).
There are multiple ways of designing a technological artifact - not just one possible or the best way. The different interpretations of a technology can influence it in many ways. Once the technology has been released to the end-users, the interpretations among these can also be different in relation to the interpretive flexibility of the technology itself.
In this context, the term interpretive flexibility will be utilized as the different ways a technological innovation can be interpreted by different social groups. The terms of relevant social groups and interpretive flexibility will be used independently of each other to analyze how end-users’ interpretations of a technological artifact can contribute to and influence its adoption rate.
Roger’s Five Attributes of Adoption
“Some innovations diffuse from first introduction to widespread use in a few years”
(Rogers, 1983:204), but what characteristics of innovation affect the rate at which
the innovations are diffused and adopted? Rogers (1983) proposes the five perceived attributes of adoption: 1) Relative Advantage, 2) Compatibility, 3) Complexity, 4) Trialability, 5) Observability. These five attributes can to an extend predict if an innovation is going to be adopted by potential adopters (Ibid.).
Relative Advantage is “the degree to which an innovation is perceived as better than the idea it supersedes” (Rogers, 1995:212). According to Rogers (1995) the degree of relative advantage of an innovation is often expressed as social prestige, economic profitability, or other benefits. The nature of the innovation determines what specific type if relative advantage is important to the adopters (ibid.), in this context the end-users of Pokémon GO. Additionally, the characteristics of the potential adopters also affect which subdimensions of relative advantage are most important in the particular context (Rogers, 1995).
Compatibility is “the degree to which an innovation is perceived as consistent with the existing values, past experiences, and needs of potential adopters” (Rogers, 1995:223). Potential adopters want to know if the innovation is compatible or not to reduce their own uncertainty about the idea (Rogers, 1995). According to Rogers (1983) an innovation can be “compatible or incompatible with: 1) sociocultural values and beliefs, 2) previously introduced ideas, or 3) with client needs for innovation. Compatibility with sociocultural values and beliefs can lead to an increased adoption rate, whereas incompatibility of an innovation with cultural values and beliefs can can block the adoption. Previously introduced ideas can also have influence on the innovation, as “compatibility of an innovation with a preceding idea can either speed up or retard its rate of adoption” (Rogers, 1983:224). Potential adopters cannot deal with an innovation except on the basis of familiarity, as previous practice is seen as a familiar standard in which the innovation can be compared to and interpreted based on, thus decreasing uncertainty for the adopter (Rogers, 1983). When it comes to the clients needs for innovation, Rogers (1983) explains how clients sometimes may not recognize that they have needs for
an innovation until they are exposed to it and been made aware of the new idea or of its consequences. Thus when need are met, a faster rate of adoption usually occurs (ibid.).
Complexity is “the degree to which an innovation is perceived as relatively difficult to understand and use” (Rogers, 1995:230). According to Rogers (1983) “some innovations are clear in their meaning to potential adopters while others are not”
(p.231). The complexity of an innovation is perceived as negatively related to its adoption rate, as the more complex an innovation seems, the less likely a potential adopter will adopt it.
Trialability is “the degree to which an innovation may be experimented with on a limited basis”, (Roger, 1995:231). According to Rogers (1983) an innovation that can be tried will generally be more adopted rapidly than an innovation which is not divisible. To be able to try out an innovation reduces the uncertainty for the potential adopter; which makes it positively related to the adoption rate (ibid.).
Observability is “the degree to which the results of an innovation are visible to others” (Roger, 1995:232). According to Rogers (1983) some innovations are difficult to describe to others, whereas those with ideas that are easily observed and communicated to others reduces the uncertainty for potential adopters. The observability of an innovation is positively related to its rate of adoption (Rogers, 1983).
The five characteristics will be utilized to analyze how the innovation of Pokémon GO became a global success based on its characteristics as described by Rogers (1983). This will further illuminate how an innovation with particular characteristics more likely will be adopted by potential users. In combination with the concepts of interpretive flexibility and relevant social groups, these five attributes will explore how Pokémon GO became a success and continued its success to this day.
Furthermore, how the interpretations of end-users matters in the context of the adoption rate of a technological artifact.
Methodology Research Position
What we assume to exist and the nature of what exists is a part of the study of ontology. This leads us to the assumptions researchers have about the way in which the world functions and the commitment to particular views (Saunders et. al., 2012).
This paper takes the ontological position of subjectivism. Subjectivism is the aspect which asserts that social phenomena are created from the perceptions and consequent actions of social actors; and since social interactions between actors are a continual process, social phenomena are in a constant state of revision (ibid.).
Thus, this paper attaches significant importance to studying the in-depth details of the impacts that interpretive flexibility may or may not have on the adoption rate of a technological artifact, i.e. to understand the circumstances.
Closely associated with social constructivism, this approach views reality as being socially constructed (Saunder et. al., 2012). As a highly relevant term for this study, the study will focus solely on the end-users of Pokémon GO and how they interpret the game itself. In particular, how they each use the game for their desired outcomes. Moreover, how their interpretations and the way the game Pokémon GO can be interpreted in itself can have an influence on the adoption rate.
The epistemological choice of this paper is Interpretivism. The research of this paper reflects the philosophy of Interpretivism, as it adopts an empathic stance (Saunders et al., 2012:137), i.e. the researcher has to enter the world of the research subjects, i.e. the users, and understand their world from their point of view. This is the reason that the interpretivist perspective is highly appropriate in the case of interpretive
flexibility and adoption rate research. Consequently, Interpretivism advocates that it is crucial to understand differences between humans in their role as social actors (ibid.). According to Saunders et al. (2012) “(...) we interpret our everyday roles in accordance with the meaning we give to these roles. In addition, we interpret the social roles of others in accordance with our own set of meanings” (p. 137). This shows how the concept of relevant social actors in relation to interpretive flexibility fits the research position.
Research Approach
This study is built upon abductive reasoning; the data is collected to explore a phenomenon, identify themes and explain patterns, to modify existing theory, which is tested through additional data collection (Saunders et al., 2012:144). Abductive reasoning begins with a “surprising” or interesting fact being observed, which in this paper, is the case of Pokémon GO, how end-users interpret the game itself and how this have an impact on the adoption rate. Hence, it starts with an observation and hereafter seeks to find the most simple and likely explanation (ibid.).
By following the logic of the abductive inference, this surprising fact is revealed to be the conclusion rather than a premise (Saunders et al., 2012). Based on this conclusion, a set of possible premises are determined that are considered sufficient or nearly sufficient to explain the conclusion (ibid.). Based on the study, it is determined that the interpretive flexibility of a technological artifact can have impact on its adoption rate.
Research Strategy
The research strategy is functioning as the methodological link between the research position, the choice of data collection and analysis methods (Saunders et al., 2012:173). Thus, it is crucial to understand how a paper will achieve the aim of
answering the proposed research question. The research question and objectives will therefore lead the choice of research strategy, which is further linked with the research philosophy, approach and purpose (ibid.).
The research strategy of this paper is a case study, which is the study of a research phenomenon within its context (Saunders et al., 2012:179). The aim is to gain a rich understanding of the context of the research phenomenon, along with the interpretive flexibility of a technological artifact and how it influences the adoption rate.
As aforementioned, this study will take the stance of an abductive research approach, which is suitable for conducting a case study, due to the aim of observing a phenomenon, finding a hypothetical reason to why and how the phenomenon arose.
Research Design
Pokémon GO will be utilized as the case study in this research paper. The rationale behind the selection of the case study was decided while exploring Augmented Reality and its popularity throughout the recent years. The case was of interest as the game of Pokémon GO became a global success back in 2016. Moreover, the commercials involving the game tremendously highlighted the use of AR in its game;
which was seen as a literal game changer in the gaming industry. It triggered the curious mind to investigate further how it became a global success; thus focusing on the interpretive flexibility and the attributes of innovation and its influence on the adoption rate. Hence the idea of the research domain, that this paper focuses on, was developed. Furthermore, the relevance of the selected case is relatively high, seeing as more and more organizations are aiming to utilize AR in the business processes, innovators will always aim for a high adoption rate and scholars increasingly explore the topic to offer evidence as guidance to practitioners. Thus, the desired outcome is to contribute to the existing literature in the research domain
as well as with practical insights for future innovators. Moreover, the chosen case study can be categorized as a single case study.
The type of case that is employed in this paper is instrumental. The case is used to gain an overall understanding of something. As Stake (2000) states; “there is a conceptual distinction between the case and what you want to understand (i.e.
the phenomenon)” (p.3). Meaning, the case in this research is Pokémon GO, whereas the phenomenon that is focused on and to be understood is the interpretive flexibility of technology and how it affects the adoption rate.
According to Vaughan (1992) “(...) a case is whatever we decide it is, we can vary the organizational settings we select to explore our research questions (...)” (p. 180).
In this research, the unit of analysis is the end-users of the game. The unit of analysis defines what the case is focusing on, whether it is an individual, a group, an organization, etc. (Berg, 2001:231).
Sampling Rationale
A sampling criteria was set before conducting semi-structured interviews for this research, in order to ensure the relevance of the data collected. According to Bauer and Arts (2000), the sampling criteria should ensure the possibility of “studying only parts of a population, without losing information” (Bauer and Arts, 2000:20).
Hence, the sampling criteria set in this context was that the interviewees had to be active players of Pokémon GO. The case will be utilized as an example, where the group of Pokémon GO players will be the primary focus. Consequently, the outcome of this case will be used to gain an overall understanding of the research interest.
This study’s purpose is to generalize from empirical to theoretical statements, which is known as analytical generalization (Lee & Baskerville, 2003:235). Hence, the aim is to generalize towards theory, rather than towards the population of other cases. As
Klein and Myers (1999) explain, interpretivist researchers uses theory as a “sensitizing device to view the world in a certain way” (p.75). The analytical generalization is facilitated in the explanation of the chosen case of Pokémon GO with regards to the concepts. Generalizing from empirical to theoretical statements entails the ability to investigate a phenomenon comprehensively from numerous angles and creating a greater, abstract understanding of the researched phenomenon.
Data Collection
In this paper, a partially integrated mixed methods strategy has been used, with both quantitative and qualitative data collections combined in the research design (Saunders et al., 2012:166). The qualitative data collection technique and analysis procedure involved semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis.
Additionally, secondary quantitative data has been obtained from websites to elaborate on the case of Pokémon GO.
In order to answer the research question, the case study has obtained primary data.
The data was collected through informal semi-structured interviews also called ‘non standardized’ interviews. This specific method was used to explore the areas of interest, which are the interpretive flexibility of technology and how it influences the adoption rate. Often referred to as qualitative research interviews, this data collection method was used in this paper by making a list of themes and possible key questions to be covered, thus their use varied from interview to interview depending on the direction and the depth of the responses from the interviewees (Saunders et al., 2012:378). Additionally, an interview guide (appendix 1) was created to ensure a certain degree of structure, while conducting the interviews.
To understand the different interpretations or ‘constructions’ of the end-users of Pokémon GO, one to one interviews were conducted face-to-face. Since this was possible and the purpose was to understand the individual perceptions, this method was more suitable, compared to for example phone interviews. The second
interview, which was a follow-up interview with only a few questions, was conducted on Facebook using the messenger chat due to convenience.
Containing open questions, semi-structured interviews allow the researcher to diverge from the planned structure (ibid.). Semi-structured interviews enable an interpretivist scholar to understand the research participants’ reasons for their attitudes and opinions (ibid.). This qualitative method provides the opportunity to
‘probe’ answers, where there is a need for the interviewees to explain or build on their responses (ibid.).
A disadvantage or limitation of executing semi-structured interviews has for this research been the flexibility of the interviewees. The time-consuming requirements of the interview process have resulted in a reduction of willingness to take part in the study by some Pokémon GO players. Consequently, more interviews could have contributed with more interpretations and created a more detailed picture. Table 1 summarizes the interviewees.
Name Age Occupation City In this paper
Nicole 31 On cash benefits Sønderborg Interviewee 1
Styler 32 Butcher Sønderborg Interviewee 2
Katrine 24 Student, to become a teacher
Copenhagen Interviewee 3
Morten 41 DSB train driver Brøndbyøster Interviewee 4 Jeanette 51 Early retiree Copenhagen Interviewee 5 Liuwina 36 Ice cream truck driver Copenhagen Interviewee 6
Table 1. The Interviewees
Data Analysis
All the interviews were recorded with an audio app on the mobile phone. They were hereafter transcribed per well-established practices of qualitative research (Saunders et al., 2012). Additionally, theory-driven qualitative content analysis was conducted as a procedure for categorizing the collected interview data.
Qualitative content analysis can be explained as “a method for systematically describing the meaning of qualitative data … This is done by assigning successive parts of the material to the categories of a coding frame” (Flick, 2014:429). This type of analysis is primarily used to analyze subjective interpretations accumulated in interviews (Flick, 2014:435).
Building a coding frame was the main step in the process, followed by creating categories and subcategories derived from the theoretical frameworks used in this study to interpret the data collected. For example, from Rogers (1995) Diffusion of Innovations, the category “Five Characteristics” was derived, from which the subcategories of “Relative Advantage”, “Compatibility”, “Complexity”, “Trialability”
and “Observability” were extracted. Roger’s attributes are used in this research as they are perceived attributes, meaning the way that they are perceived and interpreted by users, in this case, affect the adoption rate. Essentially, the aim is to connect the theory with the collected data, as Mayring (2000) explains: “deductive category application works with prior formulated, theoretically derived aspects of analysis, bringing them in connection with the text” (Mayring, 2000). While Mayring (2000) calls it ‘deductive category application’, it will, in this study, be labelled as
‘theory-driven category application’.
Subsequently, definitions of the categories and subcategories were explicitly described in order to ensure the application of the coding frame to interview data was executed in the similarly. In addition to definitions, coding rules were created to determine under which circumstances the pieces of the interview data can be coded under in the coding frame. An example of a coding rule is as follows;
“If text includes either description, explanation,
opinion/statement of the innovation itself as either one of/related to the following attributes:
- Relative Advantage - Compatibility
- Complexity - Trialability - Observability
as defined in the definition(s) column.”
Table 2. Example of coding - referring to appendix X
Using this approach to analyze and categorize the collected data will contribute to revealing patterns within the data, hence recognizing relationships between the categories and subcategories. Consequently, it will help with answering the research question. Additionally, a second advantage of utilizing this approach is that the acquired data will be reduced, thus the most relevant pieces of data are shown, which makes it more convenient to work with (Flick, 2014:431). Even though not all the data is being categorized, the interviews as a whole can give an understanding of the interviewees interpretations and in between the lines meaning and opinions. The theory-driven category application also makes the process of creating categories and discovering relationships more evident, due to the approach being based upon existing theory (Saunders et al., 2012:581).
Quality Criteria
The interpretivist epistemology fosters a double layer of interpretation, i.e. the interviewees interpretation of how the world works along with my, as a researcher,
interpretation of their interpretations. Subsequently, this means that there is no one truth, which aligns with the aim of understanding the interviewees interpretations of the research phenomenon. This study also strives to create credible research, which can be improved by quality criteria. Klein and Myers (1999) propose some principles for conducting and reporting interpretive research, which are utilized as quality criteria in this paper.
Related to the social and historical background of the research setting, is the principle of contextualization, which enables the reader to understand the research setting (Klein & Myers, 1999:72). In this research, it is used to ensure the reader’s comprehension and understanding of the reasoning behind what led to the success of Pokémon GO.
Ensuring that the data is showing a plausible view of the phenomenon, requires that one, as a researcher, is critical in assessing the collected data, which is socially constructed via interaction between the interviewer and interviewee (ibid.). Hence being aware that the subconscious presumptions about the interviewees does affect the creation, reporting, and organisation of the collected data is crucial while accumulating and handling data about the chosen case. Klein and Myers (1999) call this; the principle of interaction between the researcher(s) and the subjects (ibid.).
When interviewing people about a phenomenon the chance of different interpretations occurring is significantly high, Klein and Myers (1999) explicitly state how salient it is for the researcher to investigate the “influences that the social context has upon the actions by seeking out and documenting multiple viewpoints along with the reasons for them” (p. 77). In this research, it is believed that social interactions, i.e. social context influence interpretations, and the relevance of investigating this is fundamental for this research. Klein and Myers (1999) categorize it as the principle of multiple interpretations.
Finally, the last point is to ensure quality of the research, and to be aware of possible biases and distortions from the interviewees (Klein & Myers, 1999:72). These can be intentional or unintentional, and can be caused by various different impacts, however it is salient to be sensitive to it as it is categorized as the principle of suspicion (ibid.). Considering these principles, with relevance to the research conducted in this paper, the quality should be enhanced, thus making the research credible for the reader.
Case Description
What started as an April’s Fool joke back in 2014, eventually became a worldwide hit game. Satoru Iwata of Nintendo and Tsunekazu Ishihara of The Pokémon Company were instrumental in coming up with what eventually became Pokémon GO back in 2014, when they made the Google April Fool’s Joke (Tassi, 2016).
Pokémon GO was birthed through the collaboration and teamwork between Nintendo and Niantic, a startup and Google/Google Maps spinoff (Goryachev, 2016). Previously, Niantic had invented a similar game called Ingress, “but critical mass for an augmented reality game didn’t erupt until this collaboration, which included the Pokémon Company, a consortium among Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures” (ibid.). In an interview by Kyle Hilliard of the Game Informer, John Hanke, who is the founder of Niantic, gave a statement about how Pokémon GO came to be:
“Google and The Pokémon Company did an April Fool’s joke around Google Maps, where Pokémon spontaneously appeared in Google Maps, which ended up being tremendously successful; it went viral. There’s a video about it that got umpteen million views. And so, within the Niantic team, we were thinking about, we built the game, it’s our intent to build a platform, what would be the next step towards
growing the platform? And Pokémon was the idea that seemed incredibly obvious to us, given just the structure of the game, given the fact that it’s about chasing Pokémon and capturing Pokémon out in the real world seemed to be super natural to just substitute a mobile phone for the Pokémon and Pokédex. So we actually surfaced the idea with The Pokémon Company, there was interest, they were actually playing Ingress” (Hilliard, 2016).
Before Niantic created Pokémon GO, the company had created Ingress, which is also a game based around locations, “Ingress is a sci-fi game, the locations are puzzles in Ingress, players can control portals to power them up, to link them together, to form fields, or two teams” (Hilliard, 2016). These portals in the game where actually the base to creating the so called Pokémon Gyms and Pokéstops in the game. Throughout several years, portals have been created in Ingress by players through submissions for approval to Niantic’s team of operations personnel to review. After those have been edited and revised, a large database of global locations, including historical markers, public artwork, and statues, became part of the subset for Gyms and Pokéstops in Pokémon GO (Hilliard, 2016).
Launched back in 2016 on July 6th, Pokémon GO became a global pop culture craze for gamers (Goryachev, 2016). The game shows how market transitions can come from anywhere, “even a game meant for kids of all ages” (ibid.). Being one of the most successful mobile games of all times, Pokémon GO broke records by being the fastest to earn a 100 million dollars and being the most-downloaded in its first month of release (Chamary, 2018). Back in January 2018, Niantic made 37 million dollars in revenue. A year later in January 2019, the revenue went up 84 percent earning 68 million dollars, making the total revenue of the game to a staggering 2.3 billion dollars (Blake, 2019). Pokémon GO disrupted its market and adjacent ones, when it merged the real world with an imaginary one and gamified it through the technology of augmented reality; creating a new and transformative experience for users all over the world (Goryachev, 2016).
Being described as “the leaders in mobile augmented reality (AR) experiences”, Niantic continues to implement new features to the game, making it a more efficient and phone-friendly high-engagement tool; unlocking a wide variety of gameplay opportunities to inspire players to head out into their local communities (Blake, 2019).
The Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game Pokémon GO is revolving around the imaginary world of Pokémon. The story behind the creation of Pokémon and its world is the story of how a Japanese man’s hobby became “a global phenomenon that shows no sign of stopping” (Madnani, 2016). Pokémon is short for ‘Pocket Monsters’, which is the original Japanese name, and the franchise has its roots in a gaming magazine Game Freak in the early 1980’s in Japan, started by the writer Satoshi Tajiri and the illustrator Ken Sugimori (Madnani, 2016). Soon Pokémon was developed into games that was published by Nintendo on the NES and Game Boy and later becoming one of the largest franchisers (ibid.). The Pokémon anime came later due to the previous games’ success with the franchise. Pokémon GO has many of the characteristics of an average Pokémon game. Pokémon’s slogan is “Catch
‘em all” and it addresses the main goal meant for Pokémon, which is to catch all the pocket monsters there is to catch to fill out your Pokédex, a device keeping track of all the Pokémon you have caught. Pokémon are caught with Pokéballs and they stay in these until you release them for e.g. a Pokémon battle with another wild Pokémon, a Pokémon trainer or a Gym or Raid. In Pokémon GO, a trainer has to go to different locations to spin Pokéstops to get items, including revives and potions for healing the Pokémons, Pokéballs for catching them, and other items with a purpose in relation to the game.
Although Pokémon GO is no longer the global phenomenon it was back in 2016 when first released, the game remains incredibly popular (Chamary, 2018).
Pokémon GO was chosen as the case study for this paper as it is in current time still an incredibly popular mobile game. The main motivation was the game’s use of
Augmented Reality (AR) and therefore the game is also relevant; as nowadays, organizations are beginning to make more use of AR for its benefits, as mentioned in the research domain. After looking further into the game, it became clear that the main interest is how the innovation itself became such a widely adopted and popular game and continues to stay popular in the gaming industry.
Analysis
Pokémon GO - a Global Innovative Craze Game
As seen in the case description, Pokémon GO has been and still is a crazy success in the gaming industry. An innovation that to this day is continuously taking home millions of dollars. To take a further look into how this game became one of the most successful innovations in our time, the attributes and interpretive flexibility of this innovation will be analyzed.
The Relative Advantage of Pokémon GO
Looking at the previous Pokémon games, some of the most popular and best selling games are from the Gameboy series, including Pokémon Red/Blue/Green/Yellow, which generated a huge 46 million sales (Cotton, 2019). Only being topped by the Mario franchise, Pokémon GO is to this date the second best selling franchise of all time (ibid.). According to Niantic’s founder John Hanke, Pokémon GO was:
“really designed to be something that can be woven into your daily life, so a trip to work, a trip to school, a regular time you have waiting on the bus or a lunch break walk to go out and get some fresh air; it’s really meant to be something that you can fit into those bits of your day where maybe you want to step outside and take a break” (Hilliard, 2016).
Opposite the Pokémon games it supersedes, Pokémon GO is an active game that forces the player to walk around and play outside in order to collect items for the games’ purposes, battle Gyms, and catch Pokémons. This attribute is one of the main reasons that Pokémon GO is an attractive game and quickly gained popularity among players.
Interviewee 2 expresses how he loves Pokémon GO for being an active game in the following quote: “It is lots of fun to be walking outside in the real world on the real streets and catch stuff [Pokémon]; and not just sitting at home and play computer”
(Interview 2). Interviewee 2 loves to breathe in fresh air and take walks and enjoy nature either with friends or by himself. He further states how this game can be used as a kind of sport, as the game forces you to exercise to catch the Pokémons. On these walks, he meets other Pokémon GO players and gets to know people and befriends them through to the game. Interviewee 2 states: “You get to see peoples faces. Faces you cannot see when playing Playstation or computer. There you can only hear their voices, but you never get to see them in real life” (Interview 2). He emphasizes how he likes to meet people in real life, whether they are from Russia or Greenland. The important thing is to get to meet them in real life, which Pokémon GO allows one to. Moreover, Interviewee 2 uses his nickname in his username in the game. In this way, other players are able to recognize him on Facebook and then in real life, when they see his username around town in the Gyms. He further explains how his family, who lives further away from where he lives, sometimes write to him and ask if he is the one who took over a Gym nearby. Not only does people he knows ask, but sometimes also strangers; as the game allows all players to see who has taken over a Gym. This feature is quite fun according to Interviewee 2. With all these reasons, Pokémon GO caught Interviewee 2’s eyes from the very beginning and he has been an active player since.
Interviewee 3 has been playing Pokémon on the Gameboy since being a little girl.
She also collected the Pokémon cards and watched a lot of the anime. Like
Interviewee 2, Interviewee 3 also likes the active aspect of Pokémon GO: “I think the thing that caught me with this game is the fact that it is an active game. Meaning you can do something else besides sitting and playing it. You are not forced to stay inside behind closed doors” (Interview 3). She admits that she mostly plays the game, when she is on her way to something. Interviewee 3 sometimes likes to spend time on her off days playing the game for an hour or two to get some fresh air and exercise. She sees the game as a great excuse for people who once in a while wants to spend time on walks and getting outside; the game is great at luring people outside. Interviewee 3 further adds how the game’s theme is attractive in itself. Being a Pokémon fan since childhood, the game’s theme is one of the most appealing attributes for her. She compares her love for Pokémon to her sister’s love for Harry Potter. There is a similar game to Pokémon GO with the Harry Potter theme. While Interviewee 3 can see the appeal with Pokémon GO, she cannot see the appeal with Harry Potter - even though they are built on the same gaming principles, according to Interviewee 3. Meanwhile, Interviewee 3’s sister cannot see the appeal in Pokémon GO, but she loves the Harry Potter version. Thus the theme can be an advantage in itself by attracting the already existing fanbase of that franchise.
Additionally, Interviewee 3 adds that Pokémon GO is also a very social game. She compares Pokémon GO to Counterstrike, a PC shooting game, and explains that Counterstrike can be seen as a social game as well, but the player is still sitting alone behind the computer screen; whereas Pokémon GO forces one out the door and go out and meet people in real life. Interviewee 3 emphasizes that there is a huge social element within the game, which makes her obliged to keep playing the game. If she was to recommend people to play Pokémon GO, she would highlight the social aspect of it.
Interviewee 4 agrees with the social aspect of Pokémon GO being one of the reasons he still plays the game. He sees it as a reason to still hang out with the people that he befriended through the game over time: “when I started playing 10-11 months ago, we were a group of people who regularly met at Fisketorvet Shopping
Center. In the beginning I did not know any of them, but slowly by playing the game we got to know each other over time” (Interview 4). Interviewee 4 further explains how it is almost inevitable to not talk to people in some context or another. He likes the competitive aspect of the game, where a player can battle gyms and achieve medals, and this is what motivates him to continue to play Pokémon GO.
Interviewee 5 started actively playing Pokémon GO, while she was long-term hospitalized. She was introduced to the game by her kids and while in the hospital realized that there was a Pokéstop nearby, thus that is how she became a Pokémon Trainer. The active aspect of the game helped her walk again and gave her the ultimate motivation to do physical activity while catching Pokémons. Later on, Interviewee 5 began to socialize with other Pokémon GO players and came to appreciate the social aspect of the game as well.
Interviewee 6 has been familiar with the Pokémon franchise since the anime came about. She emphasizes how big of a Pokémon fan she is even though she did not play the franchise’s games a lot: “I have played a little bit of ‘Silver’ and ‘Black and White’, but I never got far in those games due to the fact I was in Japan at the time and playing the games in Japanese, which I did not understood that well at the time” (Interview 6). Interviewee 6 started playing Pokémon GO when it launched in Japan back in the summer of 2016. Since then, she has also, like Interviewee 5, come to appreciate the social aspect of the game, as it has allowed her to meet people she never thought she would meet and befriend outside of Pokémon GO.
Being a free to download and free to play with in-app purchases game, Pokémon GO attracted many players from the beginning of their launch; unlike the Pokémon games it supersedes that costs money to play, as one would have to buy them. This is an appealing attribute of the game, as when asked about it, almost all interviewees agree that they would not have tried out the game and play it, if it back then costs money to play. On the contrary, Interviewee 6 as the only one was
unsure whether or not she would play the game if it had cost money back then: “at the time I did not have much money, so it would depend on the price” (Interview 6). She adds that for a mobile app game, she would maximum have paid 50 Danish kroner to play it.
Even though the positive sides of the mobile game Pokémon GO has been highlighted, the existence of the negative sides of the game cannot be denied.
Augmented Reality was one of the selling points back when Niantic rolled out the game in 2016. Although, when asked about the AR function within the game, the majority of the Interviewees agreed in relation to their opinions about the AR function. Interviewee 3 expressed how she thinks the AR function can have a negative impact on road safety. Her concerns revolves around how the AR function makes it a lot harder to catch a Pokémon, as it may move around a lot while the player is trying to catch it with a Pokéball. On the other hand, with the VR function it is a lot easier to catch the Pokémon as it is more still than with the AR function on.
When the AR function is on, the Pokémon may sometimes move to the middle of a road where cars might drive by. This have resulted in players going out into the middle of a road if the Pokémon on the screen was worth the risk-taking. Back in 2016 when Pokémon GO was launched, the London Road Safety Council issued a warning about a potential lack of concentration among pedestrians following the launch of Pokémon GO (London Road Safety Council, 2016). They emphasized how especially children and young people may end up in potentially dangerous situations such as crossing the road to catch a Pokémon for their collection (ibid.).
Around the same time in Singapore, players were also crossing roads without regard for oncoming traffic (Lee, 2016). Police had to issue a reminder to the public to practice road safety as large crowds of Pokémon GO players continued to frequent a popular area in Hougang (ibid.). Additionally, a teen in the United States walked onto a highway playing Pokémon GO and got hit by a car (Sullivan, 2016).
The AR function within Pokémon GO was one of the most appealing attributes about the game back when it launched, as a player could get the experience of walking around in the real world while catching Pokémons on the mobile screen. According to several interviewees, there are in fact not many who uses the AR function within the game, as it makes it harder to catch the Pokémons and more time consuming for the players. Interviewee 5 explains how the AR functions appear every time she plays the game and that she has to go in and actively turn the function off. She further explains that she rarely uses the function, because it makes it harder to catch Pokémons. Interviewee 5 thinks that maybe some people uses the function, because they like games to be more difficult to play. Although for her, she never uses the function unless she wants to show someone a Pokémon with a real life background on the mobile screen. Interviewee 6’s statements about the AR function are similar to Interviewee 5’s. Interviewee 6 also quickly turned off the AR function when she started playing the game. She quickly realized alike many others, that the AR function makes it harder for her to catch Pokémons. It is not only a time consuming function, but it also drains the battery quicker with the AR function on:
“it drains a lot of battery and the game itself already drains a lot of battery, which is a downside of the game. Your phone goes ‘zip’ and then there is no longer any battery left. Even when I sometimes walk around playing while charging my phone, it still eats up all the battery” (Interview 6). The AR function was fun in back when the game just launched, but after a couple of times using it Interviewee 6 realized that the function was not that fantastic after all.
Niantic has recently launched a new photo function in relation to the AR function.
It gives the players the opportunity to take photos with the Pokémons they have already caught. As stated by Interviewee 5, previously, Niantic also launched special Pokémons, which can only be caught while using the AR function.
Furthermore, Niantic also created special events where players can catch special Pikachus (a Pokémon) by using the AR function. Interviewee 5 herself has caught a special Pikachu with a flower on its head. Even though the initial idea sounds like fun
and interesting, Interviewee 5 emphasizes how time consuming and difficult these AR tasks can be to be able to get these special Pokémons. She further states the following about Niantic’s push of the AR function: “I do not know if they are able to see how much the AR function is being used, but it may be the reason why they keep on trying to make us use it more by keeping on implementing something new in relation to it” (Interviewee 5). Interviewee 6 adds to this notion by revealing that Niantic recently made a new update to the game called ‘AR core’. This was to be installed just like an app, but its sole purpose is to support Pokémon GO’s AR function by making the AR more realistic in the game: “with the update, the Pokémon will be shown in its real size compared to you when taking pictures. It could for example be a gigantic Charizard standing right next to you. So it makes the Pokémon look more realistic in size and all, but of course it is still not completely realistic” (Interview 6).
Interviewee 6 also agrees with Interviewee 5 by also stating that Niantic has been pushing a lot of updates in relation to the AR function recently. Interviewee 4 agrees with this notion and states the following: “they are still trying. In their eyes, AR has not been the success they had hoped for” (Interview 4). He adds that Niantic would only push people to use AR more by pushing many updates in relation to the function, because they feel they should do more about it. Still most of the Pokémon GO players, according so several interviewees, still prefer to use the VR function over the AR function. Interviewee 6 further adds that she sees most of the animations within the game as time consuming and that she wished she could turn them all off in order to save time.
Even though the social aspect is one of the main reasons, according to the interviewees, that Pokémon GO still thrives to this day; it is the same reason for people to eventually stop playing the game as it becomes too time consuming.
Interviewee 4 explains how the social aspect can both be a positive and negative attribute, as it on one hand expands a player’s social network and gives him or her friends or comrades to play the game with. On the other hand, by playing the game with other people, the player dedicates lots of time to the game; which may result
in too much time spent on the game. Additionally, he states that the social aspect can be a players motivation to continue to play the game, but as soon as others quit the game and the player has no longer people to play the game with; he or she will quit due to lack of motivation i.e. the lack of socialization. Interviewee 6 adds with another perspective to the social aspect as well. She agrees that the social aspect is one of the main reasons for her playing Pokémon GO, but the mobile game itself is still missing a function within the social aspect, according to her: “there is missing a function in the game. A function where you are able to directly message another player. There has been created a lot of Facebook groups for Pokémon GO and a lot of messenger groups too to contact people to plan and ask them to join the raids. It would be a lot easier if this messenger function was implemented and a part of the game itself” (Interview 6). She mentions how some people do not have a Facebook account, which makes it harder for them to play and socialize with the bunch who has: “maybe it was the creators intention to have the socializing happen outside the game, but it would be nice to have a contact option within the game itself” (Interview 6). Another function missing according to Interviewee 5 is the turn on and off function. Even though Pokémon GO is a fun and active game for Interviewee 5, she wished that Pokémon GO had a permanent turn-off function when it came to the music and vibrations within the game. She is tired of the music and vibrations turning on every time she starts the game on her mobile. She further explains by comparing Pokémon GO to another popular mobile game Candy Crush: “I want to control the music like I am able to in for example Candy Crush”
(Interview 5). Pokémon GO is a fun game, but it is still missing some smaller functions that can make a difference for its current players. Furthermore, Interviewee 5 sometimes has a hard time understanding some of the functions within the game: “I would very much like the game to be more disability friendly, as I often have a hard time understanding what is going on in the game when it comes to events”
(Interview 5). Interviewee 5 refers to the community days, which happens occasionally on the weekend on a specific day from 11 am to 2 pm. On these days, there will be tasks for Pokémon GO players to solve. These tasks will be explained in
a ‘user manual’ or ‘guide’. These guides can be very long and they are all in English, which makes it hard for Interviewee 5 to understand and know what some events are about and what the tasks are. She hopes that Niantic will consider making it easier for disabled people to understand the game and its facets, so that her and other disabled players can follow along with everyone else.
As mentioned in the case description, Niantic launched the game Ingress before launching the crazy hit game Pokémon GO back in 2016. Interviewee 4 states how Pokémon GO does not compare to Ingress when it comes to cheating in the game:
“when it comes to cheating and so on, Niantic have been better cracking down on cheating in Ingress compared to Pokémon GO” (Interview 4). He explains how it is for an example not allowed to have multiple accounts in Pokémon GO. He further explains how it is easier to crack down on ‘multi-accounting’ in Ingress, because Niantic is able to see the IP address. Interviewee 4 believes that Niantic got the resources and the means to crack down on multi-accounting, but they simply do not have the will to do it. According to Interviewee 4, multi-accounting is not only cheating through the eyes of Niantic, but it is also seen as cheating by many in the Pokémon community, who is quite annoyed by the fact that some players do multi- accounting. One of the first type of cheating discovered by Interviewee 4, was the fact that in the beginning of the launch of Pokémon GO, many players hacked the GPS function within the game. By doing this, they were able to stay at home playing the game, while the GPS locations moved to catch Pokémons, battle gyms, and spin Pokéstops. One of the reasons why some players did and are still doing this, is the fact that some Pokémons can only be found and caught in specific regions in the world. Interviewee 4 explains that if a player is able to cheat with his or her device and move electronically to another part of the world to catch Pokémons, then he or she does not have to spend thousands of kroners to travel for an example to Australia. According to Interviewee 4, Niantic has not done the cracking down on cheating like they are supposed to: “if they set up rules then follow them through or else remove the rules. The inconsistent attitude towards things is just unsatisfactory
