scholarly journals Collaborative Game Design with Children with Hemophilia as a Tool for Infuencing Opinions about Physical Activity at School

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 159-171
Author(s):  
Jérôme Dinet ◽  
Capucine Bauchet ◽  
Lara Hoareau
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Collaborative Game

Influencing Physical Activity and Healthy Behaviors in College Students

2010 ◽  
pp. 270-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanne D. Johnston ◽  
Lee Sheldon ◽  
Anne P. Massey
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Interactive Narrative ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Healthy Behaviors ◽  
College Age ◽  
Academic Courses ◽  
Alternate Reality

Physical inactivity is largely preventable through education, individual, and/or community-based interventions. Yet, in the college-age population, traditional interventions (e.g., lecture-based academic courses) may not fully meet their social and learning needs. Here, the authors report on a study regarding the effectiveness of an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) – called The Skeleton Chase – in influencing physical activity and wellness of college-age students. A growing game genre, an ARG is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform and involves multiple media (e.g., game-related web sites, game-related blogs, public web sites, search engines, text/voice messages, video, etc.) to reveal a story. The authors’ initial results are extremely promising relative to the impact on physical activity, as well as tangential learning such as teamwork and problem-solving. They also report students’ reactions to the game itself, highlighting game design strengths and weaknesses that may inform game designers.

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

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 205566831984444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciano HO Santos ◽  
Kazuya Okamoto ◽  
Shusuke Hiragi ◽  
Goshiro Yamamoto ◽  
Osamu Sugiyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Visual Style ◽  
Pervasive Game

Introduction Promoting active lifestyles among older adults can bring drastic benefits for their quality of life. The innovative mechanics of pervasive games – that mix real and virtual worlds – can further engage and motivate elderly people into that goal. Using social interaction as a study case, we designed and evaluated the feasibility of a pervasive game to investigate how game design elements can affect the levels of physical activity of older adults. Methods A mobile, location-based pervasive game was developed, and a study with community dwelling elderly volunteers from Kyoto, Japan was performed to evaluate its feasibility as an experiment system. Results Participants reported that the theme and visual style of the game was adequate, and that game rules and goals could be easily understood. The game was considered enjoyably challenging and engaging. Further analysis showed that next iterations of the system must pay special attention to the level of complexity of controls, and that new ways to connect players when there are few people playing or when they are too far apart are necessary. Conclusions The design allowed to test for variations on pervasive mechanics and was effective to engage elderly people, encouraging further investigation.

scholarly journals A Pilot Intervention Using Gamification to Enhance Student Participation in Classroom Activity Breaks

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (21) ◽  
pp. 4082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lexie R. Beemer ◽  
Tiwaloluwa A. Ajibewa ◽  
Gabriel DellaVecchia ◽  
Rebecca E. Hasson
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Student Participation ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Classroom Activity ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Health Enhancing Physical Activity

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of adding game design elements (goal setting, feedback, and external rewards) to an evidence-based physical activity intervention to increase in-class physical activity participation (intensity of activity breaks performed). Nine third- through sixth-grade classrooms (n = 292 students) in one elementary-middle school in Detroit, Michigan (49% female, 95% nonwhite; 80% qualified for free/reduced lunch) participated in this 20-week intervention where teachers implemented 5 × 4 min moderate-to-vigorous activity breaks per day. Gamification of activity breaks occurred during weeks 13–20 of the intervention and included the use of game design elements and classroom goals for activity break intensity. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during activity breaks was measured via direct observation. There was a significant effect of intervention with a 27% increase in student MVPA participation during the gamified intervention weeks compared with the standard intervention weeks (p = 0.03). Gamification of activity breaks resulted in 55% (compared with 25% during the standard intervention) of students accumulating approximately 20 min of health-enhancing physical activity per day in their classroom. These findings provide preliminary evidence that gamifying activity breaks may be an important strategy for increasing student participation in classroom activity breaks.

scholarly journals Using Narrative Game Design to Increase Children’s Physical Activity: Exploratory Thematic Analysis

10.2196/16031 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. e16031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Shirong Lu ◽  
Melanie C Green ◽  
Debbe Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Narrative Strategies ◽  
Active Video ◽  
Gender Groups ◽  
Children’S Physical Activity

Background Physical activity is crucial for child obesity prevention and intervention. Narratives embedded in active games can increase children’s physical activity. Objective Little is known about the narrative characteristics that would motivate children to exercise. We attempted to fill the gaps in understanding regarding narrative design for active video games. Methods In this exploratory study, four animated narratives of different genres were professionally generated. Children (N=41) between the ages of 8 and 12 years were interviewed to identify their preferences. Sessions were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using exploratory thematic analysis. Results Findings revealed that the children rated the dystopian science fiction story as their favorite across all weight, race, and gender groups. The physical activity-friendly narrative strategies included virtuous characters, extraordinary character actions, interesting plots, super powers, and engaging cliffhangers. Alternatively, information not related to physical activity, difficult-to-follow plot lines, passive protagonists, and repetitive narrative tropes were less appealing for physical activity. Conclusions This research provides preliminary evidence that narratives have characteristics that may increase child physical activity when playing active games. Future empirical studies should verify and test these design principles.

scholarly journals Developing a virtual reality exergame to engage adolescents with physical activity: early intervention development process (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuša Farič ◽  
Lee Smith ◽  
Henry WW Potts ◽  
Katie Newby ◽  
Andrew Steptoe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
Development Work ◽  
Work Package ◽  
Initial Development ◽  
Activity Promotion

BACKGROUND Adolescence (13-17 years) is a key developmental stage for physical activity promotion (PA), but it remains unclear what works to change PA in this group. Virtual reality (VR) exergaming is a promising intervention strategy to engage adolescents with physical activity. OBJECTIVE We hypothesise that a multicomponent intervention with VR exergaming at the core could increase physical activity in adolescents. However, substantial intervention development work is required. METHODS The vEngage study involves collaboration between academics and commercial games designers and employs a staged, mixed-methods approach to intervention development, combining traditional research processes and iterative game design processes. This protocol reports on our experiences of the methods and procedures for the initial development phases of the intervention. Ethics and Dissemination: The results from each work package have been disseminated through peer-review publications and scientific presentations. Ethical approval for each work package has been obtained through the University College London Research Ethics Committee. RESULTS This project developed a novel intervention involving VR exergaming with embedded elements designed to engage adolescents in physical activity. The unique academic and industry partnership from the outset, support from public health funders, and involvement of users and stakeholders throughout has been crucial to success. CONCLUSIONS This project is a world first attempt to develop a VR exergame designed to engage adolescents with PA, embracing academic-industry collaboration. We proposed and described very early development work in order to raise awareness of the study, and still open up possibilities and invite other researchers and industry partners to link with us. As such we welcome potential collaboration, and input on our planned and future work.

Analyzing a Process of Collaborative Game Design Involving Online Tools

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra B. Fan ◽  
Brian R. Johnson ◽  
Yun-En Liu ◽  
Tyler S. Robison ◽  
Rolfe R. Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Game Design ◽  
Online Tools ◽  
Collaborative Game

scholarly journals Gamified Text Messaging Contingent on Device-Measured Steps: Randomized Feasibility Study of a Physical Activity Intervention for Cancer Survivors (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C Robertson ◽  
Elizabeth J Lyons ◽  
Yue Liao ◽  
Miranda L Baum ◽  
Karen M Basen-Engquist
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Autonomous Motivation ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Step Counts ◽  
Participant Engagement ◽  
Experimental Group

BACKGROUND Physical activity can confer diverse benefits on cancer survivors. Unfortunately, many cancer survivors are not sufficiently active. The efficacy of physical activity interventions for this population may be increased by grounding them in Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Combining game design elements with wearable technologies may be a useful and scalable approach to targeting SDT constructs to promote cancer survivors’ physical activity. OBJECTIVE The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of <i>Steps2Health</i>, a physical activity intervention for cancer survivors. It also aims to investigate the effects of the intervention on motivation, physical activity, and step count. METHODS We randomized 78 insufficiently active cancer survivors to an experimental or comparison group. All participants received a physical activity tracker. The experimental group participants also received a set sequence of multimedia messaging service messages that were triggered in real time by meeting predetermined cumulative step count totals. Messages presented information about a virtual journey and included photographs and vivid descriptions of locations to increase autonomous motivation. Additional messages targeted perceptions of <i>relatedness</i> (eg, role modeling) and <i>competence</i> (eg, facilitating mastery experiences). We administered pre- and postintervention surveys and conducted 15 individual interviews to evaluate the intervention. We performed directed content analysis of qualitative data and conducted mixed effects linear modeling to investigate participants’ changes in motivation, self-reported physical activity, and device-measured step counts. RESULTS There was minimal loss to follow-up (3/78, 4%), the device wear rate was high (2548/3044, 83.71% of days), and technical problems with messaging based on real-time step counts were limited. Our qualitative data analysis revealed 3 overarching themes: <i>accessibility</i>, <i>autonomous motivation</i>, and <i>relatedness</i>. Participants successfully navigated the technological aspects and game design elements of the intervention. Participants found messages targeting <i>autonomous motivation</i> and <i>competence or self-efficacy</i> to be enjoyable and compelling, but one feasibility criterion for participant engagement (response rate to text messages) was not met. Messages targeting <i>relatedness</i> were less highly rated than the messages targeting <i>autonomous motivation</i> and <i>competence or self-efficacy</i>. During the intervention, both groups increased their motivation for physical activity (<i>B</i>=0.16; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.30; <i>P</i>=.04; <i>d</i>=0.49), and assignment to the experimental group was associated with increased self-reported leisure activity score (<i>B</i>=10.78; 95% CI 3.54 to 18.02; <i>P</i>=.005; <i>d</i>=0.64). The experimental group had greater increases in daily step counts over time (<i>B</i>=322.08; 95% CI 54.01 to 590.15; <i>P</i>=.02; <i>d</i>=0.28). CONCLUSIONS This study supports the feasibility of using real-time game design elements to target SDT constructs and increase cancer survivors’ physical activity. Overall, our findings support the acceptability of the <i>Steps2Health</i> intervention, but fostering active participant engagement and targeting <i>relatedness</i> may present additional challenges. <i>Steps2Health</i> may help cancer survivors increase their physical activity levels.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document