Motives Matter: Motives for Playing Pokemon Go and Implications for Well-Being

作者：Yang, Chia chen^*; Liu, Dong^*

来源：Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking, 2017, 20(1): 52-57.

DOI：10.1089/cyber.2016.0562

• gaming
• gaming motive
• mobile game
• well-being

Mobile games such as Pokemon Go have become a major form of entertainment, and yet little is known about why people play the games and how their motives associate with well-being. Although literature on motives for playing video and online games is informative, the findings may not reflect the full spectrum of mobile gaming motives due to some unique affordances of mobile games (e.g., mobility). To catch up with the evolving gaming context, a popular mobile game, Pokemon Go, was taken as an example to explore individuals' mobile gaming motives. A Pokemon Go Motive Scale was developed. Seven motives were identified through factor analyses based on survey data from 262 Pokemon Go players (45 percent women; M-age = 30.71, standard deviation = 7.77): Exercise, Fun, Escapism, Nostalgia, Friendship Maintenance, Relationship Initiation, and Achievement. Both Fun and Friendship Maintenance were positive correlates of well-being, whereas Escapism and Nostalgia were negative correlates. Relationship Initiation was associated with both better and poorer well-being. Implications of the findings are discussed.

• 出版日期2017-1
• 单位中国人民大学