Paper Information
| Title | World of Workout: Towards pervasive, intrinsically motivated, mobile exergaming |
| Presenter(s) | Katelyn Doran, Shaun Pickford, Cory Austin, Tory Walker and Tiffany Barnes |
| Session | Intrinsic Motivation, Exercise, and Exergaming |
| Time | Thursday, October 21, 3:00p-4:00p |
| Location | Lake Huron Room |
| Format | Paper Presentation |
| Description | Obesity and lack of exercise are growing problems in western countries, particularly among children and teens. In an effort to be part of the solution, we have created World of Workout, a mobile, pervasive game with functions similar to that of a pedometer. However, unlike a simple pedometer application, World of Workout takes place within a game environment with its own challenges and goals. The game environment is modeled after RPG games, due to the high levels of intrinsic motivation found in games of this genre. In this paper, we present the prototype design for World of Workout as well as pilot study results. Our initial study demonstrates the effectiveness of the game in raising user heart rates, highlights features of game playability, and also allowed for user feedback. These initial results provide a proof of concept for the World of Workout design, indicating that the game has significant merit.
Our motivation for the creation of World of Workout is based on the steady increase of health complications from sedentary lifestyles, such as depression, obesity, and anxiety disorders in recent years. The prevalence of technology and modern conveniences, while making many aspects of daily life significantly easier, have also lead to significant declines in true social interaction and physical activity. Often bearing a large share of the blame are video games, which have traditionally required that players remain seated and inactive during the entirety of play. However, the emergence of mobile gaming has allowed users to play games during their daily activities. Gaming is no longer restricted to the domain of a desk chair or living room; games are accessible while travelling, running errands, and even while working out. Pervasive games have taken mobile technologies a step further by making those daily activities a part of the game. Exergaming has also changed the way people interact with video games by turning physical activity into a core game play mechanic. Through combining mobile, pervasive, and exercise games we, as developers, are able to create games which require physical activity but can also be easily integrated into the busy lives lead by today's video game consumers. With successful combination of previous game designs, we have created a first step towards a dual purpose, mobile, and pervasive application that is both a game and tool in one. World of Workout allows users to track their daily activity, but it goes a step further in that the game provides a basis for being more active. Similar success can be seen in the Wii Fit, an exercise tool that has game elements. However, unlike the Wii Fit and similar console-based exergames, World of Workout is a smart phone application which can run during the user's daily activities. World of Workout also features a leveling structure, goals, awards, and a plot to encourage players to increase their daily activity in order to gain achievements and unlock new features. It is our hope that this design, in addition to assisting players with maintaining a healthy lifestyle, can serve to inspire developers to create similar games on a wide variety of platforms. |
| More | View PDF of full paper |