Designing for bodily interplay
Anna Lisa Martin‐Niedecken · 2018
Among younger people, game-based group workouts have become very popular. Thus, as design resources, the social settings become as important as the technology. However, there is still limited knowledge about how to exploit the full design potential of bodily interplay in social exertion games and how technology can be used as a social exertion "shaper" rather than a "limitation". To contribute to this topic, we present a multiplayer version of our adaptive exergame "Plunder Planet". It can be played with two controllers demanding either haptic or gesture-based input movements. We conducted a study and investigated the social and bodily potential of our game. Playing the game with both devices supported good social gameplay experiences. The haptic device supported a greater feeling of empathy and engagement. Children's preferred version and employed play strategies depended on their skills/preferences in sports and gaming. Results help identify design approaches for future social exertion games.