A4 Refereed article in a conference publication
Understanding the Dynamics of Trust in Location-Based Games as Hybrid Spaces: The Players’ Perspective
Authors: Xu, Jiangnan; Luna, Sanzida Mojib; Saker, Michael; Chamberlain, Alan; LaLone, Nicolas; Laato, Samuli; Tigwell, Garreth W.; Papangelis, Konstantinos
Editors: Oliver, Nuria; Shamma, David A.; Candello, Heloisa; Cesar, Pablo; Lopes, Pedro; Bozzon, Alessandro; Kosch, Thomas; Liao, Vera; Ma, Xiaojuan; Artizzu, Valentino; Draxler, Fiona; Lopéz, Gustavo; Reinschluessel, Anke V.; Tong, Xin; Toups Dugas, Phoebe O.
Conference name: Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
- Publisher: ACM
Publication year: 2026
Book title : CHI '26 : Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Article number: 851
ISBN: 979-8-4007-2278-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3790587
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3790587
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/523059429
Self-archived copy's licence: CC BY NC ND
Self-archived copy's version: Publisher`s PDF
Location-based games (LBGs) merge digital play with physical environments, creating hybrid spaces that require players to navigate complex trust dynamics. Despite their global popularity, LBGs introduce unique challenges around fairness, safety, and privacy, spanning interactions among players, game systems, local communities, and non-players in shared public spaces. To examine how trust is perceived, built, and sustained in these environments, we conducted in-depth interviews with 26 players of four major LBGs: Pokémon GO, Monster Hunter Now, Ingress, and Pikmin Bloom. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we identified dynamics of trust across four trustor–trustee relationships: player–system, player–player, player–community, and player–non-player in five key aspects: fair play, location privacy, online vetting, hybrid interaction, and public play. Drawing on our findings, we propose a trust model for analyzing and designing trust in LBGs as hybrid spaces, and we outline design implications aimed at strengthening trust building and sustaining trustworthy interactions across the LBG ecology.
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Funding information in the publication:
Dr Chamberlain’s part in this work was supported by the Turing AI World Leading Researcher Fellowship in Somabotics: Creatively Embodying Artificial Intelligence [grant number EP/Z534808/1] and AI UK: Creating an International Ecosystem for Responsible AI Research and Innovation [grant number EP/Y009800/1].
