Abstract

Novel interaction solutions provide new possibilities to design appealing game experiences for wider demographics. The development of motion-based controllers has facilitated the new coming of exergame genre that involves physical activity as a means of interacting with the game. Furthermore, the major reason for increased interest in exergaming is the concern over the high levels of obesity in Western society. The aim of this study is to explore design principles that facilitate the development of high quality exergames, which are both attractive and effective as an exercise. In this study, three multiplayer exergames were tested in Finnish primary school (N=28). Flow theory was used as a design and evaluation framework. The results indicated that challenge-skill balance was the most important flow dimension. Especially multiplayer context and teamwork engaged players to exercise more and facilitated flow experience. As a result a dual flow model for exergaming was extended with team flow dimension. The extended model was used to distinguish flow adjustment methods. Furthermore, the evaluation results indicated that motion-based games motivate children a lot and they could be an effective 'weapon' in the fight against the growing obesity problem. Verf.-Referat