The digital “lure”: Small businesses and Pokémon Go

Abstract

Most of the discussion about Pokémon Go has focused on the end-user and the playful nature of the game. Experts have mentioned the game’s commercialism, but they have done so mostly by talking about the data collection practices of the app developers. This commentary piece takes a different approach by examining how businesses have used Pokémon Go’s “lures” to attract foot traffic. The main goal of the article is to show how the ludic, digital wayfaring of location-based games can be used by individual places to attract players. While the focus is on business owners, I will also address how game mechanics could also be used to encourage prosocial behaviors such as voting (in noncompulsory voting countries).