What is it about?

This CHI 2024 paper presents an extensive review of the current state of extended reality (XR) exergame research. Exergames combine exercise with enjoyable gameplay, offering an important tool for fostering a healthier society. Our review of 186 papers identifies current trends, highlights knowledge gaps, and outlines future research directions. We also propose guidelines for effectively reporting exergame research and provide a structured taxonomy to help developers, researchers, and practitioners understand and create impactful XR exergames.

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Why is it important?

With fitness and health becoming more crucial in our technology-driven lives, XR exergames can be a powerful way to encourage physical activity. This review helps guide future developments in XR fitness games, showing how they can be designed for specific user needs and different health goals. By organizing the research, we aim to channel global research efforts towards underrepresented aspects of exergame research, thereby creating opportunities for technological improvements. Also, we want to support better-informed XR game design that can make exercise more engaging and accessible for diverse audiences.

Perspectives

I am particularly proud of this project, as we completed it in a short yet intense timeframe while upholding a rigorous and meticulous workflow. Our study not only offers valuable insights for exergame researchers and designers but also lays a solid foundation for our own future work, highlighting exciting areas where XR exergames could advance. We prioritized open science by sharing all analysis materials as supplemental files, ensuring our research is accessible and transparent for others aiming to build on these findings.

Prof. Dr. Sebastian Cmentowski
Technische Universiteit Eindhoven

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Born to Run, Programmed to Play: Mapping the Extended Reality Exergames Landscape, May 2024, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/3613904.3642124.
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