# The Geography of Pok'emon GO: Beneficial and Problematic Effects on Places and Movement

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.12041 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.12041/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 28 Mar 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Detecting discriminatory risk through data annotation based on Bayesian inferences](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.11358/) (2021)
- [Towards Algorithmic Fairness in Space-Time: Filling in Black Holes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.04568/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The widespread popularity of Pok'emon GO presents the first opportunity to observe the geographic effects of location-based gaming at scale. This paper reports the results of a mixed methods study of the geography of Pok'emon GO that includes a five-country field survey of 375 Pok'emon GO players and a large scale geostatistical analysis of game elements. Focusing on the key geographic themes of places and movement, we find that the design of Pok'emon GO reinforces existing geographically-linked biases (e.g. the game advantages urban areas and neighborhoods with smaller minority populations), that Pok'emon GO may have instigated a relatively rare large-scale shift in global human mobility patterns, and that Pok'emon GO has geographically-linked safety risks, but not those typically emphasized by the media. Our results point to geographic design implications for future systems in this space such as a means through which the geographic biases present in Pok'emon GO may be counteracted.