Navigating Cities Through Play: A Study of Geo AR Induced Urban Flânerie During the Pikmin Bloom Tour in Kaohsiung

Lin, Yu Jou; Pai, Nai Yuan

Navigating Cities Through Play: A Study of Geo AR Induced Urban Flânerie During the Pikmin Bloom Tour in Kaohsiung

James Alexander Gordon on 13th February 2026

Author Information

Yu Jou Lin, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Nai Yuan Pai, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan

Abstract

This study examines whether geolocation-based augmented reality (Geo AR) gameplay can encourage urban flânerie, cultural landscape perception, and initial place connection in a cultural walking event. Using Pikmin Bloom Tour 2025: Kaohsiung as a case study, the research analyzes a non-linear walking event that placed 12 Special Spots across urban areas of Kaohsiung and allowed players to arrange their own routes. This study adopts a questionnaire-based research design supported by an exploratory field study, with data collected through on-site participant observation, short interviews, and open-ended survey responses. The survey collected 171 valid responses, among which 87 participants provided open-ended responses. The findings indicate that most participants joined the event mainly to collect Pikmin while also using it as an opportunity to visit Kaohsiung. Participants noticed harbor landscapes, markets, streets, and event installations, and some extended the activity into nearby consumption, photo-taking, wandering, or additional visits. Thematic analysis shows that frequently mentioned themes included urban and cultural landscape perception, exploratory movement, and place meaning or initial connection. Descriptive results show high agreement with visiting unfamiliar places (M = 4.39), walking into unplanned streets or alleys (M = 4.36), and paying attention to both the game screen and real streets (M = 4.38). These findings suggest that walking-based Geo AR mechanics can transform physical movement into digitally guided urban flânerie, allowing the activity area to be experienced as a meaningful urban space perceived through movement, observation, and attention switching.