Considerations for the design of exergames

Abstract

Exergaming is the use of video games in an exercise activity. In this paper we consider game design for successful exergames. To do this, we review the history of exergaming and the current state of research in this field. We find that there exists some research aimed at evaluating the physical and health characteristics of exergames, but research on how to design exercise games is still in the early stages. From an analysis of this information, and drawing on established principles from sports science for the prescription of exercise programs, we then attempt to identify success factors to guide designers of exergaming systems

GrabApple: The Design of a Casual Exergame

“…One approach to making exercise more fun is through the use of exergames, which are games that use exercise as part of the activity required to play a video game [6,7]. Exergames have been shown to be more fun to play than a corresponding level of standard exercise [7].…”

“…Exergames have been shown to be more fun to play than a corresponding level of standard exercise [7]. Although exergames can promote physical activity, these games are often tedious to set up, use specialized hardware, and need a committed chunk of time to play.…”

“…Although exergames can promote physical activity, these games are often tedious to set up, use specialized hardware, and need a committed chunk of time to play. To motivate people to do 10-minute bouts of exercise in a fun way, we take the novel approach of applying the principles of casual games-which have been described as games that are "fun, quick to access, easy to learn and require no previous special video game skills, expertise or regular time commitment to play" ( [8], p.3)-to exergames [7], creating the new genre of casual exergames. We define casual exergames as games that players can learn easily and access quickly, using simple rules and special game mechanics, to motivate them to exercise at a moderate intensity for short periods of play.…”

“…First, casual games appeal to people of all ages, genders and nationalities [8], are fun, and are easy to start and stop playing. Second, exergames have game mechanics promoting exercise so it makes exercise seem less difficult and more enjoyable [7]. Therefore, casual exergames should motivate physical play in small manageable chunks of time, and help people to exercise for the recommended 30 minutes per day.…”

Online-Gym: Multiuser Virtual Gymnasium Using RINIONS and Multiple Kinect Devices

“…A new approach which has been gaining traction in this regard is the use of videogames [5]. Particularly, due to various low cost technological devices which enable motion to be captured, so that users can provide their gestures as input to exercise platforms, a development which is embodied in the term "exergames" [6] [7]. We are referring to devices such as the Nintendo Wii [8], the Xbox with Kinect [9] and PlayStation Move [10].…”