Pervasive game design to evaluate social interaction effects on levels of physical activity among older adults

Santos, Luciano; Okamoto, Kazuya; Hiragi, Shusuke; Yamamoto, Go; Sugiyama, Osamu; Aoyama, Tomoki; Kuroda, Tomohiro

doi:10.1177/2055668319844443

Cited by 21 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Participants played a pervasive location-based mobile game called Shinpo, which, in free translation, means “steps of the gods” in Japanese. This game was first evaluated for its feasibility in Kyoto [ 19 ] and later used in a similar study in Brasília, Brazil [ 20 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Promoting Physical Activity in Japanese Older Adults Using a Social Pervasive Game: Randomized Controlled Trial

Santos¹,

Okamoto²,

Otsuki³

et al. 2021

JMIR Serious Games

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Background Pervasive games aim to create more fun and engaging experiences by mixing elements from the real world into the game world. Because they intermingle with players’ lives and naturally promote more casual gameplay, they could be a powerful strategy to stimulate physical activity among older adults. However, to use these games more effectively, it is necessary to understand how design elements of the game affect player behavior. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate how the presence of a specific design element, namely social interaction, would affect levels of physical activity. Methods Participants were recruited offline and randomly assigned to control and intervention groups in a single-blind design. Over 4 weeks, two variations of the same pervasive game were compared: with social interaction (intervention group) and with no social interaction (control group). In both versions, players had to walk to physical locations and collect virtual cards, but the social interaction version allowed people to collaborate to obtain more cards. Changes in the weekly step counts were used to evaluate the effect on each group, and the number of places visited was used as an indicator of play activity. Results A total of 20 participants were recruited (no social interaction group, n=10; social interaction group, n=10); 18 participants remained active until the end of the study (no social interaction group, n=9; social interaction group, n=9). Step counts during the first week were used as the baseline level of physical activity (no social interaction group: mean 46,697.2, SE 7905.4; social interaction group: mean 45,967.3, SE 8260.7). For the subsequent weeks, changes to individual baseline values (absolute/proportional) for the no social interaction group were as follows: 1583.3 (SE 3108.3)/4.6% (SE 7.2%) (week 2), 591.5 (SE 2414.5)/2.4% (SE 4.7%) (week 3), and −1041.8 (SE 1992.7)/0.6% (SE 4.4%) (week 4). For the social interaction group, changes to individual baseline values were as follows: 11520.0 (SE 3941.5)/28.0% (SE 8.7%) (week 2), 9567.3 (SE 2631.5)/23.0% (SE 5.1%) (week 3), and 7648.7 (SE 3900.9)/13.9% (SE 8.0%) (week 4). The result of the analysis of the group effect was significant (absolute change: η2=0.31, P=.04; proportional change: η2=0.30, P=.03). Correlations between both absolute and proportional change and the play activity were significant (absolute change: r=0.59, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.77; proportional change: r=0.39, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.64). Conclusions The presence of social interaction design elements in pervasive games appears to have a positive effect on levels of physical activity. Trial Registration Japan Medical Association Clinical Trial Registration Number JMA-IIA00314; https://tinyurl.com/y5nh6ylr (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/761a6MVAy)

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The feasibility study and follow-up evaluations [ 17 , 22 ] suggested that these mechanics allowed players to feel more engaged in playing the game by working together with other people. We hypothesized that this setup would result in a greater positive effect on levels of physical activity.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting Physical Activity in Japanese Older Adults Using a Social Pervasive Game: Randomized Controlled Trial

Santos¹,

Okamoto²,

Otsuki³

et al. 2021

JMIR Serious Games

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Participants played a pervasive location-based mobile game called Trilhas [26,27]. This game has been previously evaluated for its feasibility and adaptability to allow for the testing of different design elements [28].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The feasibility study and follow-up evaluations [27,28] suggested that these mechanics allowed players to feel more engaged in playing the game by working together with other people. We hypothesized that this setup would result in a higher positive effect on levels of physical activity.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Social Interaction Mechanics in Pervasive Games on the Physical Activity Levels of Older Adults: Quasi-Experimental Study

Santos¹,

Okamoto²,

Funghetto³

et al. 2019

JMIR Serious Games

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Background The novel genre of pervasive games, which aim to create more fun and engaging experiences by promoting deeper immersion, could be a powerful strategy to stimulate physical activity among older adults. To use these games more effectively, it is necessary to understand how different design elements affect player behavior. Objective The aim was to vary a specific design element of pervasive games for older adults, namely social interaction, to test the effect on levels of physical activity. Methods Over 4 weeks, two variations of the same pervasive game were compared: social interaction for the test group and no social interaction for the control group. In both versions, players had to walk to physical locations and collect virtual cards, but the social interaction version allowed people to collaborate to obtain more cards. Weekly step counts were used to evaluate the effect on each group, and the number of places visited was used as an indicator of play activity. Results A total of 32 participants were recruited (no social interaction=15, social interaction=17); 18 remained until the end of the study (no social interaction=7, social interaction=11). Step counts during the first week were used as the baseline (no social interaction: mean 17,099.4, SE 3906.5; social interaction: mean 17,981.9, SE 2171.1). For the following weeks, changes to individual baseline were as follows for no social interaction (absolute/proportional): 383.8 (SE 563.8)/1.1% (SE 4.3%), 435.9 (SE 574.5)/2.2% (SE 4.6%), and −106.1 (SE 979.9)/−2.6% (SE 8.1%) for weeks 2, 3, and 4, respectively. For social interaction they were 3841.9 (SE 1425.4)/21.7% (SE 5.1%), 2270.6 (SE 947.1)/16.5% (SE 4.4%), and 2443.4 (SE 982.6)/17.9% (SE 4.7%) for weeks 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Analysis of group effect was significant (absolute change: η 2 =.19, P =.01; proportional change: η 2 =.27, P =.009). Correlation between the proportional change and the play activity was significant ( r =.34, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.56), whereas for absolute change it was not. Conclusions Social interaction design elements of the pervasive game may have some positive effects on the promotion of physical activity, although other factors might also have influenced this effect. Trial Registration Japan Medical Association Clinical Trial Registration Number JMA-IIA00314; https://dbcentre3.jmacct.med.or.jp/JMACTR/App/JMACTRS06/JMACTRS06.aspx?seqno=7274 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/761a6MVAy)

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“…Location-based AR mobile games differ from exergaming designed to promote PA mostly indoor; however, these AR games still demonstrate the potential to promote PA comparable to the recommended levels [ 10 ]. Further, AR mobile games might exert positive effects on individuals’ overall well-being as AR games predominately require the players to have some form of movement by combining gaming, walking, and exploring outdoor environments [ 11 , 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Pokémon GO on Physical Activity and Psychological and Social Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Lee

Zeng

et al. 2021

JCM

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Augmented reality (AR) mobile game, Pokémon GO, leverages gamification and location tracking technology to encourage players to walk in different places to catch Pokémon characters in real-world settings. The systematic review sought to explore the impact Pokémon GO has on players’ physical activity (PA), and psychological and social outcomes. Six research databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsycInfo, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Scopus) were used. Study inclusion criteria were: (1) quantitative research published in English; (2) examined the relationships between or impact of Pokémon GO on PA, psychological, and/or social outcomes; and (3) included participants played or exposed to Pokémon GO. Thirty-six studies were included with a total sample of 38,724 participants. Players had significantly greater PA than non-players in terms of daily steps and number of days spent in moderate PA. Pokémon GO game also improved players’ social interactions and their mood/affects. Selective attention and concentration improved in adolescents and memory improved in young adults after playing the game. Findings suggest playing Pokémon GO could promote meaningful improvements in walking behavior, as well as psychological and social well-being. More multidimensional research with randomized controlled trial design is needed to identify factors that influence adoption and sustainability of Pokémon GO playing.

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Pervasive game design to evaluate social interaction effects on levels of physical activity among older adults

Cited by 21 publications

References 33 publications

Promoting Physical Activity in Japanese Older Adults Using a Social Pervasive Game: Randomized Controlled Trial

Promoting Physical Activity in Japanese Older Adults Using a Social Pervasive Game: Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of Social Interaction Mechanics in Pervasive Games on the Physical Activity Levels of Older Adults: Quasi-Experimental Study

Effects of Pokémon GO on Physical Activity and Psychological and Social Outcomes: A Systematic Review

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