Identity, Safety, and Information Management within Communities of Practice in Location-based Augmented Reality Games: A Case Study of Ingress

This research examines play communities of the location-based AR game Ingress to identify and describe community practices specific to these kinds of games. The unique features of location-based AR gameplay result in several novel community standards, behaviors, and practices that impact player safety, privacy, and information security in the Ingress community. We discuss practices related to preserving physical safety and privacy, addressing bullying and harassment, information and operational security, and player apprenticeship. In addition, we identify critical ways that individuals’ real-world identity impacts their play behavior in public spaces, resulting in self-imposed play limitations.