Paradigm transformation, practical applications, and future prospects of leisure studies based on agent-based modeling

This study aims to construct a new paradigm for leisure research based on Agent-Based Modelling (ABM), in response to the limitations of traditional positivist and interpretivist approaches in explaining complex, dynamic leisure behaviours and emergent social processes. It systematically reviews the epistemological foundations and methodological characteristics of ABM and demonstrates its suitability and application logic in relation to research questions in leisure studies. An exemplar model is then presented to illustrate the model-building process and the specification of core mechanisms in leisure-related ABM. Furthermore, this paper proposes a modelling framework that integrates Large Language Models (LLMs) with Point of Interest (POI) data to enhance the rationality of behavioural rule specification and spatial environment representation. The study shows that ABM can capture individual heterogeneity, local interaction processes, and the emergence of macroscopic leisure phenomena within a unified framework, thereby facilitating a shift in leisure research from static correlation analysis to mechanism-oriented dynamic simulation. The contribution of this paper lies in providing a reusable framework for generating leisure behaviours, validating the feasibility of applying ABM to leisure research, and offering a modelling reference for future data-driven ABM studies in leisure contexts.