The Augmented Reality of Pokémon Go

Chronotopes, Moral Panic, and Other Complexities

Edited by Neriko Musha Doerr and Debra J. Occhi - Contributions by Neriko Musha Doerr; Anne Allison; Debra J. Occhi; Paul Manning; Bonnie Nardi and Elle Santry

What happens when a group of people see things that others do not and begin acting accordingly? The Augmented Reality of Pokémon GO: Chronotopes, Moral Panic, and Other Complexities explores this question by examining what happened after Pokémon GO, a smartphone augmented reality game, was released in July, 2016. The game overlaid the world of Pokémon onto the “real” physical world, drawing 30 million players in the first two weeks. Pokémon GO has created new ways of sensing the environment, reading things around us, walking the street, and dwelling in certain areas, i.e., inhabiting the world. Through detailed text analyses of the game and auto-ethnographies of the contributing authors’ experiences playing the game analyzed from anthropological perspectives, this volume provides nuanced analyses of this new way of relating to the world: the augmented reality world of Pokémon GO. Each chapter focuses on specific aspects of this new experience of the world: the cosmology of the world of Pokémon and the multifaceted ways we relate to our environment through Pokémon GO; the notion of space and time in Pokémon GO and its interface with that of real world as it guides our actions; the phenomenology of Pokémon GO in urban walking with its complex relationships to public space, “nature” as constructed through modernity, cell phone infrastructure, and urban landscapes where insects, animals, birds, human, history, transportation infrastructure, and trash all intermingle to create its ambiance; and the game’s link to the wider social issue as it gets appropriated for “friendly authoritarian” goals of civil society, imposing various ideologies and accruing commercial gains. Through “participant observation” —all contributors have been avid Pokémon GO players themselves—this volume offers snapshots of the Pokémon GO effect from its initial stage as a social phenomenon to Spring 2018.

Lexington Books

Pages: 148 • Trim: 6½ x 9

978-1-4985-7491-4 • Hardback • February 2019 • $100.00 • (£77.00)

978-1-4985-7493-8 • Paperback • April 2021 • $41.99 • (£35.00)

978-1-4985-7492-1 • eBook • February 2019 • $39.50 • (£30.00)

Subjects: History / Asia / Japan, Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural, Social Science / Popular Culture, Social Science / Sociology / General

The Augmented Reality of Pokémon Go

Chronotopes, Moral Panic, and Other Complexities

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

What happens when a group of people see things that others do not and begin acting accordingly? The Augmented Reality of Pokémon GO: Chronotopes, Moral Panic, and Other Complexities explores this question by examining what happened after Pokémon GO, a smartphone augmented reality game, was released in July, 2016. The game overlaid the world of Pokémon onto the “real” physical world, drawing 30 million players in the first two weeks. Pokémon GO has created new ways of sensing the environment, reading things around us, walking the street, and dwelling in certain areas, i.e., inhabiting the world. Through detailed text analyses of the game and auto-ethnographies of the contributing authors’ experiences playing the game analyzed from anthropological perspectives, this volume provides nuanced analyses of this new way of relating to the world: the augmented reality world of Pokémon GO. Each chapter focuses on specific aspects of this new experience of the world: the cosmology of the world of Pokémon and the multifaceted ways we relate to our environment through Pokémon GO; the notion of space and time in Pokémon GO and its interface with that of real world as it guides our actions; the phenomenology of Pokémon GO in urban walking with its complex relationships to public space, “nature” as constructed through modernity, cell phone infrastructure, and urban landscapes where insects, animals, birds, human, history, transportation infrastructure, and trash all intermingle to create its ambiance; and the game’s link to the wider social issue as it gets appropriated for “friendly authoritarian” goals of civil society, imposing various ideologies and accruing commercial gains. Through “participant observation” —all contributors have been avid Pokémon GO players themselves—this volume offers snapshots of the Pokémon GO effect from its initial stage as a social phenomenon to Spring 2018.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 148 • Trim: 6½ x 9

978-1-4985-7491-4 • Hardback • February 2019 • $100.00 • (£77.00)

978-1-4985-7493-8 • Paperback • April 2021 • $41.99 • (£35.00)

978-1-4985-7492-1 • eBook • February 2019 • $39.50 • (£30.00)

Subjects: History / Asia / Japan, Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural, Social Science / Popular Culture, Social Science / Sociology / General

Author

Neriko Musha Doerr is professor in the Salameno School of American and International Studies at Ramapo College.

Debra Occhi is professor of anthropology at Miyazaki International College

Table of Contents

Foreword: Pokémonology on the GO by Anne Allison

Introduction: Analyzing the Augmented Reality World of Pokémon GO by Neriko Musha Doerr and Debra J. Occhi

Chapter 1: Pokémon and the Environment by Elle Sentry

Chapter 2: The Politics of Intersecting Landscapes: Chronotopes and Modes of Governmentality of Pokémon GO and the Real World by Neriko Musha Doerr

Chapter 3: Botanizing on the Asphalt: The “Poké-Flaneur” and the Virtual Urban Wildlife of Pokémon GO by Paul Manning

Chapter 4: Social and Affective Implications of Pokémon GO in Japanese Contexts: “Mind your Manners and Have Fun” by Debra J. Occhi

Afterword by Bonnie Nardi

Reviews

The global treasure hunting game Pokémon GO, in which players collect cute virtual monsters in real world locations, comes under scrutiny by top anthropologists who play with, puzzle over, and thoughtfully analyze the trend and all its fascinating gamelore. The Augmented Reality of Pokémon GO will surely delight all readers, from fans to other scholars.
— Laura Miller, University of Missouri-St. Louis

This dense and delightful book demonstrates that Pokémon GO is more than a popular game and top news story. Instead, as a cross-cultural product creatively using world places, Pokémon GO provides valuable insights into society, politics, history, geography, and notions of nation and home. It shows how digital media influences our interaction with the lived environment. These seven essays apply critical theories to analyze Pokémon GO, providing academic models, and prove that playful popular culture teaches serious lessons. Gotta read them all!
— Alisa Freedman, University of Oregon