How Do Location-Based Augmented Reality Games Improve Physical and Mental Health? Evaluating the Meanings and Values of Pokemon Go Users' Experiences through the Means-End Chain Theory

New technology has dramatically changed online games and blurred the boundary between active and passive activities. This study aims to explore the meanings and values of augmented reality online games by examining users' Pokemon Go experiences through the means-end chain theory. Using data from interviews with 34 Pokemon Go users, this study adopts the soft laddering method to identify Pokemon Go's potential attributes, consequences, and values, and to construct a hierarchical value map. The results indicated that Pokemon Go users pursue social relationships through play, and these relationships are triggered by the benefits of making new friends, maintaining current relationships with friends and family, and the attributes of prevalence, childhood memory, game design, and augmented reality. Subsequently, this study describes how Pokemon Go can be considered an active leisure activity because of its social, mental, and physical benefits and assesses the implications of its findings.

Automated summary

This study explores the motivations and values of Pokemon Go users in seeking social relationships through the game. It identifies that users pursue social connections mainly based on factors such as making new friends, maintaining current relationships, and the game design.