The Effects of Playing Pokemon Go During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology and Special Education

Date of Award

1-10-2024

Abstract

This thesis aimed to examine whether one’s mindset in greater benefits of playing a popular location-based video game, Pokémon Go, on social connectedness, physical well-being, and cognitive processing lead to greater engagement in Pokémon Go in the midst of a global pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) (2020) notes that, COVID-19 transmission occurs from inhaling virus particulates in close proximity to one another, making isolation one of the best forms of viral control. In a similar fashion to most facets of current life, even exergames has undergone temporary changes to accommodate government level lockdowns. Niantic (2020a, 2020b), the company producing Pokémon Go, has made it easier to play their game while being isolated at one’s home, through temporary app updates that ease movement restrictions. Laato et al. (2020), stated that overall, the changes that Niantic made to Pokémon Go were well received by the player base. There is some evidence that demonstrates the beneficial effects of playing the game (e.g., Kaczmarek et al. 2017; Ruiz-Ariza et al., 2018). The proposed thesis will assess college students’ beliefs in the effects of Pokémon Go prior to the experiment. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the following two conditions: a) mindset about the benefits of playing Pokémon Go; b) no mindset. Participants‘ activities on the video games and physical exercise will be monitored over an 8 weeks period. At the end of the 8 weeks, participant’s social connectedness, physical wellbeing and cognitive processing will be assessed.

Advisor

Shulan Lu

Subject Categories

Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

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