Understanding the Dynamics of Trust in Location-Based Games as Hybrid Spaces: The Players' Perspective

Paper Title

Understanding the Dynamics of Trust in Location-Based Games as Hybrid Spaces: The Players' Perspective

Publication Info

• Topic area: Trust dynamics in location-based games (LBGs) as hybrid digital-physical spaces.
• Keywords: Location-based games, trust dynamics, hybrid spaces, player communities, fair play, location privacy, online vetting, hybrid interaction, public play.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Trust dynamics in LBGs are underexplored, especially given their hybrid nature that intertwines digital and physical interactions. Existing systems often fail to address challenges like fairness, safety, and privacy.
• Significance: Understanding trust in LBGs is critical for fostering safe, fair, and engaging gameplay experiences in hybrid spaces, where interactions span both online and offline realms.
• Motivation and related work: Previous research has examined trust in digital games and online communities but has not systematically addressed trust in LBGs. LBGs require players to navigate unique trust challenges, such as location privacy and in-person interactions with strangers, which are not present in purely digital games.

Solution

• Proposed approach: The study investigates trust dynamics in LBGs through in-depth interviews with 26 players of four popular games (Pokémon GO, Ingress, Monster Hunter Now, Pikmin Bloom), identifying key trust relationships and proposing a trust model for LBGs as hybrid spaces.
• Novelty:
  1. Empirical analysis of trust dynamics across four trustor–trustee relationships: player ▶ system, player ▶ player, player ▶ community, and non-player ▶ player.
  2. A trust model for LBGs as hybrid spaces, connecting trust relationships to five key aspects: fair play, location privacy, online vetting, hybrid interaction, and public play.
  3. Design implications for strengthening trust in LBGs, including game behavior modeling, location privacy controls, community-led governance, and socially aware gameplay.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 participants from six countries.
  • Used reflexive thematic analysis to identify trust dynamics across digital and physical spaces.
  • Developed a trust model based on findings and proposed design implications for LBGs.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Players distrust game systems for enforcing fair play, shifting trust to player communities for rule enforcement.
  • Location privacy concerns arise from gameplay revealing sensitive real-world locations, with players adopting self-regulatory strategies.
  • Online vetting and group dynamics are critical for building initial trust before in-person interactions.
  • Trust is sustained through hybrid interactions, combining in-person co-presence and online coordination.
  • Tensions exist between players and non-players in shared spaces, requiring socially aware gameplay design.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • The study provides a nuanced understanding of trust dynamics specific to LBGs, addressing gaps in prior research that focused on purely digital games or general hybrid systems.
  • The proposed trust model offers a structured framework for analyzing and designing trust in LBGs.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Interviews with 26 participants (12 women, 12 men, 2 non-binary) aged 22–67, from six countries.
  • Analysis of trust dynamics across four LBGs, focusing on shared mechanisms rather than game-specific features.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Participant sample skewed toward experienced Pokémon GO players, limiting generalizability to other LBGs or novice players.
  • Findings primarily reflect Western cultural norms; future studies should explore diverse cultural contexts.
  • Future research could include quantitative methods, field studies, and perspectives from non-players and developers.

Summary

This study investigates trust dynamics in location-based games (LBGs) as hybrid spaces, identifying four trustor–trustee relationships (player ▶ system, player ▶ player, player ▶ community, and non-player ▶ player) and five key trust aspects (fair play, location privacy, online vetting, hybrid interaction, and public play). Through interviews with 26 players, the authors reveal how trust is built, shifted, and sustained across digital and physical realms. A trust model is proposed to analyze and design trustworthy LBGs, with design implications targeting fair play enforcement, location privacy, community governance, and socially aware gameplay. While the findings are grounded in LBGs, they offer insights transferable to other hybrid sociotechnical systems.