A master programme thesis from Aalborg University
Playing Pokémon GO From The Couch: Why Do People Cheat In Location-Based Games?
Author(s)
Term
4. term
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-06-14
Pages
52 pages
Abstract
Since the emergence of video games, cheating has been prevalent and a major issue of discussion. Much research focuses on how and why people cheat in video games, but the uprise of location-based games presents a new area to research. We contribute to the body of knowledge through an investigation on what makes players cheat in location- based game using the specific case of the popular game, Pokémon GO. We explore cheating in Pokémon GO by applying a mixed-method research design to allow for a wide and deep understanding of this phenomenon. We report a series of factors that drive players to cheat. We report that players of Pokémon GO cheat in ways that are similar to cheating in video games, but we also find that players at times, and for various reasons, choose to eliminate the location-based aspect of the games by manipulating the phone’s GPS signal. Furthermore, we report that players have different perceptions on cheating depending on whether they consider the game to be a multi or single player game.
Keywords
Documents
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