Pathomon: A Social Augmented Reality Serious Game

The release of Pokémon GO attracted a huge player base ranging from children to adults, thereby establishing augmented reality (AR) on the mass market. In this paper, we present Pathomon, a social AR serious game which combines the location-based game mechanics of Pokémon GO with the benefits of using AR in a serious context. We describe the concept of the game which is based on cooperatively scanning QR codes, enabling the players to work together towards their common goal of eradicating viruses in their environment, while at the same time acquiring knowledge about these viruses. Furthermore, we present a first user study suggesting favorable results with respect to game experience, yet indicating room for improvement concerning the social game aspects. Finally, we outline the opportunity of the game to serve as a starting point for the development of a more versatile social AR platform capable of including arbitrary contents beyond the context of virus infections.