Over 65% of Taiwan office workers play Pokemon Go on the job

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Over 65% of Taiwan office workers play Pokemon Go on the job: poll

2016/08/19 21:22:48

CNA file photo

Taipei, Aug. 19 (CNA) Some 65.3 percent of office workers in Taiwan have admitted that they play the mobile game Pokemon Go during work hours, according to a survey released Friday.

On average, they spend 1.3 hours per day catching virtual monsters in the game, according to the survey that was conducted Aug. 8-17 by the online human resource advisory firm 1111 Job Bank.

Most players are passionate about the game because it brings back "childhood memories of Pokemon" and is fun, the poll revealed.

Thirty-three percent of office workers who play the game spend extra money on mobile power packs or on virtual game tools that make Pokemon Go even more interesting, the survey found.

However, some 51 percent said that although their employers have not banned the game at work, the office setting is not appropriate to play Pokemon Go.

However, 10.4 percent of employers have made it clear in written form that playing the game at work is banned, while 18.9 percent allow their workers to play as long as they keep it low-profile, the poll found.

On the other hand, 8.6 percent of employers not only encourage their employees to play but also discuss the game with them, according to the survey.

It showed that businesses in the public sector, traditional industries and information technology sector are less tolerant of employees playing the game at work, while people in the media, service sector and real estate sales business have more freedom to do so.

The survey, which collected 1,071 valid responses via email, had a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.99 percentage points.

(By Chiu Po-shen and Lee Hsin-Yin)