Games often emphasize player immersion, but AR games like Pokémon Go overlap with landscapes devoid of ludic context, so the ability for hypervisible marginalized people to lose themselves in the world of AR is significantly restricted — and often interrupted — by the presence of the real world. Let’s discuss the ways design influences access to AR games, and how Pokémon Go’s design could be improved to make the game safe and welcoming for a wider audience.

In recent years the ability to capture and control our own image has been increasingly acknowledged as an important form of personal empowerment, enabling us to control and curate our public image and perception. It’s no question selfies can empower, but what if the technology used to take them isn’t designed with your image in mind?