Games for health journal
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Games for health journal · Feb 2015
ReviewCultivating Engagement and Enjoyment in Exergames Using Feedback, Challenge, and Rewards.
This article reviews theoretical and empirical evidence related to three mechanisms for encouraging enjoyment during exergame play: Feedback, challenge, and rewards. ⋯ Feedback, challenge, and rewards are promising mechanisms by which exergames could become more enjoyable. How these concepts are operationalized can affect physical and psychological reactions to exergames. Attention to these concepts in future exergame development and implementation would benefit theory, research, and practice.
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The design of exertion games (i.e., digital games that require physical effort from players) is a difficult intertwined challenge of combining digital games and physical effort. To aid designers in facing this challenge, we describe our experiences of designing exertion games. ⋯ These reflections and analyses serve to highlight the unique opportunities of combining digital games and physical effort. The insights we seek aim to enhance the understanding of exertion game design, contributing to the advancement of the field, and ultimately resulting in better games and associated player experiences.
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Games for health journal · Aug 2014
Using Virtual Reality and Videogames for Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation: A Structured Literature Review.
This article reviews the available literature about the use of novel methods of rehabilitation using virtual reality interventions for people living with posttraumatic brain injuries. ⋯ The evidence that the use of virtual reality in rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury improves motor and cognitive functionality is currently very limited. However, this approach has the potential to provide alternative, possibly more affordable and available rehabilitation therapy for traumatic brain injury in settings where access to therapy is limited by geographical or financial constraints.
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Games for health journal · Feb 2014
Effect of Pregame Training Tutorials on Player Performance in Kinect-Based Health Games.
The objective of this study was to examine the influence of pregame tutorials on player performance in Kinect(®) (Microsoft(®), Redmond, WA)-based health games and to determine whether the additional exertion caused by longer playtime introduced by the tutorial would influence in-game performance. ⋯ Given the limited sample size in this study, it cannot be stated with certainty that greater pose accuracy will occur if a pregame tutorial level is administered. However, a trend was observed along most measures that the tutorial group achieved greater accuracy scores than the verbal instruction group. Further study with greater statistical power is strongly recommended.
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Games for health journal · Jun 2013
ReviewDisentangling Fun and Enjoyment in Exergames Using an Expanded Design, Play, Experience Framework: A Narrative Review.
With exergames (as with physical activity in general), more intense and longer-duration game play should accrue more health benefits. Exergames, however, appear to be played for relatively short durations, often at medium or lower intensities. Ostensibly games are played for fun or enjoyment. ⋯ Research, reviewed herein, indicates fun and/or enjoyment in games are inherently laden with psychosocial, physiological, and embodiment substrates. Physical activity may also have separate or closely related psychosocial, physiological, and embodiment enjoyment substrates. Research is needed to integrate these levels of experience and to identify the game mechanics that enhance, and even maximize, the fun or enjoyment experienced in exergames, to thereby increase the health benefit.