Journal of diabetes science and technology
-
J Diabetes Sci Technol · Jul 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialTwo-player partnered exergame for obesity prevention: using discrepancy in players' abilities as a strategy to motivate physical activity.
Physical inactivity is associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. A key obstacle to physical activity is lack of motivation. Although some interactive exercise games (i.e., exergames--video games that require physical exertion in order to play) motivate players to exercise more, few games take advantage of group dynamics to motivate players' duration of exercise. In a test of the Köhler motivation gain effect, this study varied the ability level of a virtually presented partner in an interactive exergame that focused on abdominal strength to identify effects on a subject's (S') persistence with the task. ⋯ Virtually presented partners who are moderately more capable than participants are the most effective at improving persistence in exergame tasks.