what makes pokémon go?

31
What makes Pokémon Go? Directions & Destinations, 1 September 2016 Dr Tama Leaver, Curtin University Department of Internet Studies Centre for Culture and Technology Curtin Institute for Computation @tamaleaver Artist: Pawel Kuczynski

Upload: tama-leaver

Post on 14-Apr-2017

489 views

Category:

Education


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: What makes Pokémon Go?

What makes Pokémon Go? Directions & Destinations, 1 September 2016

Dr Tama Leaver, Curtin UniversityDepartment of Internet Studies

Centre for Culture and TechnologyCurtin Institute for Computation

@tamaleaver

Artist: Pawel Kuczynski

Page 2: What makes Pokémon Go?

Outline1. What is Pokémon Go (and why does it

matter)?2. Augmenting Reality & (Re)Configuring

Space3. Pokémon Go Perth?

Page 3: What makes Pokémon Go?

I. What is Pokémon Go (and why does it matter)?

Page 4: What makes Pokémon Go?

What are Pokémon?• Created in 1995.• Originally a Gameboy video game

(96).• Narrative about Pokémon trainers who

collect ‘pocket monsters’ (Pokémon), who then train them and enter Pokémon battles.

• The basic narrative and range of Pokémon now spans games, trading cards, television series, films, comic books, and other forms including the Pokémon Go mobile game.

Page 5: What makes Pokémon Go?

Who are Niantic?• Software-development company focused on

locative media and augmented reality.• Originally formed within Google, but spun off

as an independent company in 2015.• In 2012 launched the locative-based Ingress

game which added of augmented media to the material world.

• Partnered with Nintendo and the Pokémon Company to create Pokémon Go, launched in July 2016.

Page 6: What makes Pokémon Go?

Pokémon Go Basics• Users play as a Pokémon trainer

(configurable avatar).• Utilise pokeballs and other tools

to capture Pokémon• Pokémon spawn (appear) in the

‘real’ world.• Pokestops provide extra

pokeballs and other tools.• Teams (Instinct, Mystic, Valor)• PokeGyms allow teams to battle

and conquer their local gym.

Page 7: What makes Pokémon Go?

Pokémon Go Gameplay

Page 8: What makes Pokémon Go?

II. Augmenting Reality & (Re)Configuring Space

Page 9: What makes Pokémon Go?

Standard Complaints about ‘Online’ Stuff …

1. It distracts from the real world’s problems.

2. Invasion of privacy (and/or “it’s silly”).

3. It’s wasting work/ productive

hours.

Page 10: What makes Pokémon Go?

Pokémon Go is a Physical Game

(Dispelling the gamer myth)

Page 11: What makes Pokémon Go?

Don’t Play & Drive (spoiler: you can’t)

Page 12: What makes Pokémon Go?

Pokémon Hunting “frenzy” / “stampede”

Page 13: What makes Pokémon Go?

Westboro• Westboro Baptist Church • Infamous for promoting

religious hate• The physical Westboro Church

is a pokémon Gym• Gym defended by a Clefairy

pokémon named ‘LoveIsLove’!• Church ‘fought back’ on social

media with their own pokémon decrying “the sodomite Clefairy”

Page 14: What makes Pokémon Go?

Pokémon Go is a Death Sentence if you are a Black

Man

URL: https://medium.com/mobile-lifestyle/warning-pokemon-go-is-a-death-sentence-if-you-are-a-black-man-acacb4bdae7f#.ue71wi9sa

Page 15: What makes Pokémon Go?

Re-(re)configuring spaces …

Page 16: What makes Pokémon Go?

Power / environmental cost?

Page 17: What makes Pokémon Go?

Accessibility

Page 18: What makes Pokémon Go?

Physical spaces, physical hacks …

Page 19: What makes Pokémon Go?

Political Pokémon

Page 20: What makes Pokémon Go?

(Re)Configuring Spaces …• Augmented reality games combine both

digital and physical spaces and experiences.

• Augmented layers can reconfigure and add to meaning to physical locations.

• Digital layers can change, challenge and confront normal spatial practices

• However, playing in the material world means augmented layers are constrained by the material, cultural and social norms already existing in those spaces

Page 21: What makes Pokémon Go?

III. Pokémon Go Perth?

Page 22: What makes Pokémon Go?

1st Perth Pokémon Walk

Page 23: What makes Pokémon Go?

Reconfiguring Curtin?

Page 24: What makes Pokémon Go?

King’s Park: Perth Pokémon Central

URLs: https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemongo/comments/4t0btd/this_is_my_park_goes_on_like_this_for_about_10ks/?st=isizi510&sh=dc6ecaf0 / http://soperth.com.au/perth-pokemon-fans-take-kings-park-11576 (Ryan Northover)

Page 25: What makes Pokémon Go?

The Battle for King’s Park?

Page 26: What makes Pokémon Go?

Broader social media contexts, too…

Page 27: What makes Pokémon Go?

Rural experience …

Page 28: What makes Pokémon Go?

Perth & W.A. …• Pokewalk shows physicality and sociality of

gameplay.• Reconfiguring spaces both highlights and

contests meanings.• Battle for King’s Park is as much about

class and access as about memorials and meaning.

• Rural WA continues to miss out in the online and augmented participation

Page 29: What makes Pokémon Go?

Conclusion

Page 30: What makes Pokémon Go?

(Initial) Conclusions1. Augmented reality demonstrates that

physical and digital are always already enmeshed, not separable.

2. Augmented layers both challenge and reveal the normative operations of existing spaces.

3. Pokémon Go is the ‘killer app’ for augmented reality, ushering in many more games and other apps utilising this technology to (re)configure physical spaces.

Page 31: What makes Pokémon Go?

Questions or Comments?

www.tamaleaver.net@tamaleaver

[email protected]