Abstract

A growing body of work is investigating the ergogenic and psychophysical effects of music, self-selected and experimenter-selected, on concurrent exercise. As exergames present a pervasive new platform for exercise, this paper extends investigation to the ergogenic and psychophysical effects of self-selected versus experimenter-selected music in the exergame context. A repeated measures design was employed in which 30 participants completed a 5 minute session of Jogging on the Nintendo Wii Fit in three different sound conditions: no music, experimenter-selected music and self-selected music. Three categories of measure were taken, physiological (heart-rate), performance (distance travelled) and experience (PANAS and perceived exertion). The results indicate that player performance and experience were optimal when listening to self-selected music, with players experiencing highest heart rate, greatest enjoyment and most positive mood change. The results are discussed in relation to the efficacy of music as a tool to optimise ergogenic and psychophysical experience during exergaming, highlighting the importance of considering player music preference and choice. Verf.-Referat