O panorama populacional do Brasil mostra um quadro de crescimento significativo nas taxas de sobrepeso e obesidade na infância e juventude. Essa realidade deve levar ao aumento da incidência de casos de doenças e, por consequência, ao aumento dos gastos públicos com saúde nos próximos anos. Diante dessa perspectiva, exergames - classe de jogos que buscam unir a diversão de jogos eletrônicos à promoção da saúde através da prática de atividades físicas - podem trazer uma contribuição significativa à sociedade. Entretanto, é necessário identificar a melhor forma de motivar as pessoas e definir as funcionalidades que favorecem o estímulo no ambiente do jogo. Este trabalho introduz o Running Wheel, um exergame de caminhada ou corrida em esteira ergométrica, com modos de jogo single player e multiplayer, nas versões competitivo (contra um adversário) e colaborativo (corrida em grupo cooperativo). O mjogo captura a velocidade da esteira e o ritmo cardíaco do jogador. A exibição é feita em um monitor instalado à frente da esteira. O sistema descrito foi implementado e uma metodologia desenvolvida para avaliação de duas hipóteses: a) existe diferença de desempenho entre os participantes que utilizam o Running Wheel no modo competitivo daqueles que experimentam o modo single player; e b) diferentes tipos de parceiros virtuais influenciam o desempenho, ou seja, correr contra si mesmo, contra alguém melhor, ou a livre escolha de um adversário de uma lista, pode levar a resultados distintos. Foram realizados experimentos com 12 voluntários ao longo de seis sessões de corrida, com 12 minutos de duração cada uma. As avaliações revelaram preferência dos participantes pelo modo multiplayer competitivo (10 usuários) sendo que a principal característica motivacional apontada foi o avatar (5 participantes), seguido do ambiente virtual (4 participantes). Os usuários do modo competitivo demonstraram um nível de esforço significativamente superior ao daqueles do modo single player, também confirmado por um ritmo cardíaco em média 5,9% maior, indicando que o modo competitivo teve uma capacidade de estímulo maior. As diferenças de distância e tipos de avatares, no entanto, não foram estatisticamente significantes, o que deverá ser investigado em pesquisas futuras. Os resultados evidenciaram a capacidade do exergame mudar a percepção dos usuário. Mesmo pessoas que inicialmente afirmaram não serem competitivas mudaram seu comportamento após a intervenção. Trabalhos futuros devem investigar o modo colaborativo em comparação com os outros modos, levando-se em conta aspectos de personalização do jogo como escolha das mensagens, e uso de avatares mais realistas. Outras áreas de interesse incluem métodos de geração de cenários baseados em locais públicos, e renderização de múltiplos avatares, simulando uma maratona virtual com mais competidores. / Developing countries like Brazil are witnessing important changes on demographics with increasing rates of overweight and obese children and young adults. These trends may lead to an increase of diseases, which in turn can cause an impact on public funds of health and social security. Considering this picture, exergames - class of games that combine health promotion to video games and thus fun - may bring an important contribution to change society. However, it’s necessary to acknowledge the main ways and features of stimulus that can be leveraged in this class of application, to promote a better incentive on the virtual gaming environment. In this work we introduce Running Wheel, an exergame with single player and multiplayer (competitive or collaborative) modes with real time capture of heartbeat rhythm and speed of a treadmill. The Running Wheel system is described and a methodology for its evaluation is presented, investigating two hypotheses: (a) there is difference between users that ran with the competitive mode versus the single player mode; and (b) there is difference in performance depending on the kind of competitor picked (three virtual competitors were tested: against oneself, against a better player or free selection from a list). We evaluated Running Wheel with 12 volunteers which performed at least 6 jogging sessions of 12 minutes each, following Cooper’s Fitness Test. Ten users preferred the competitive mode over the single player and reported the main source of motivation being the avatar (5 participants) followed by the virtual environment (4 participants). Volunteers of the competitive mode showed a superior level of effort with a heart beat rhythm 5.9% above when compared to those exercising on single player. However we did not find statistically significant differences of distance or among the different kinds of participants which should be addressed on a future research. Results confirmed that this exergame could change users’ behavior on competitiveness. Even volunteers that initially reported not being competitive at all had this perception changed after experimenting Running Wheel. Future works should investigate the collaborative mode against other modes and personalization features such as customized goals and incentive messages, more realistic avatars based on player’s physical appearance and scenarios modeled from real locations.

Submitted by FERNANDA CAROLINA PEREIRA null (fernandamarcantonio@gmail.com) on 2016-04-13T18:01:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO.pdf: 5010873 bytes, checksum: a4a77f3904e4b800d4854f7d4e57c4f6 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Juliano Benedito Ferreira (julianoferreira@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-04-15T13:16:11Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 pereira_fc_me_rcla.pdf: 5010873 bytes, checksum: a4a77f3904e4b800d4854f7d4e57c4f6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-15T13:16:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 pereira_fc_me_rcla.pdf: 5010873 bytes, checksum: a4a77f3904e4b800d4854f7d4e57c4f6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-09 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O contexto contemporâneo tem exigido cada vez mais que os vários âmbitos da vida humana se ambientem às novas tecnologias de informação e comunicação. Devido a uma grande preocupação com relação ao sedentarismo, obesidade e os riscos que estes processos causam à saúde das pessoas, associada ao grande número de usuários de jogos virtuais, os benefícios dos jogos conhecidos como exergames (EXGs) vêm sendo discutidos com maior frequência. Participaram do estudo 18 voluntários de ambos os gêneros, com idade média de 22 anos (±1). Os instrumentos utilizados para coleta de dados foram o IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) – Versão Curta, a fim de mensurar o nível de atividade física de cada uma das participantes. Foi utilizado o POMS (Profile Of Mood States), aplicado antes e depois de cada sessão de intervenção de 40 minutos com EXGs. Outros instrumentos utilizado foram a Escala de Percepção Subjetiva de Esforço baseada na escala de 0 a 10 proposta por Borg et al. (1982) e o Inventário de Motivação, Jogos Virtuais e Prática de Atividades Físicas / Esportes, composto de 108 questões, divididas em duas seções, Videogame e Atividades Físicas / Esportes. Ao final do período de 4 semanas, foi realizada uma entrevista, pautada no Roteiro de Entrevista, a fim de colher dados sobre os aspectos motivacionais, atividade física e jogos virtuais. Para a prática dos EXGs foi utilizada uma Tv LED Samsung 40” (modelo 5300 series 5), um Microsoft Xbox360® com Kinect® e jogos relacionados a esportes e atividades físicas. A partir dos dados encontrados e os relatos das participantes, corroborados pela recente literatura, notou-se que as TDICs e os ambientes imersivos de realidade virtual estão fortemente presentes no cotidiano das jovens participantes do presente estudo. Com os resultados do presente estudo pode-se perceber que os EXGs funcionam como fator motivacional para a prática de atividades físicas. Os relatos dos participantes, bem como os dados coletados referentes aos seus estados emocionais durante as sessões de intervenção (POMS e Inventário de Motivação, Jogos Virtuais e Prática de Atividades Físicas / Esportes), puderam contribuir para a comprovação da hipótese inicial de que os EXGs contribuem para que seus praticantes se motivem a realizar as atividades fora do ambiente virtual. / The contemporary context has increasingly demanded that the various spheres of human life to acclimate to the new technologies of information and communication. Due to concern with respect to physical inactivity, obesity and the risks that these processes cause to human health associated with the large number of virtual game users, the benefits of games known as exergames (EXGs) have been discussed more often. The study included 18 volunteers of both genders, with a mean age of 22 (± 1). The instruments used for data collection were the IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) - Short Version, in order to measure the physical activity level of each of the participants. Was used POMS (Profile of Mood States) applied before and after each 40 minute session with intervention EXGs. Other instruments used were the Effort Subjective Perception Scale based on the scale 0- 10 proposed by Borg et al. (1982) and the Inventory of Motivation, Virtual Games and Practice of Physical Activities / Sports, composed of 108 questions divided into two sections, Videogame and Physical / Sports Activities. At the end of 4 weeks, an interview was conducted, based on the map interview in order to collect data on the motivational aspects, physical activity and virtual games. For the practice of EXGs we used a Samsung LED TV 40 "(5300 series 5 model), a Microsoft Xbox360® with Kinect® and games related to sports and physical activities. From the data found and the reports of the participants, supported by recent literature, it was noted that the TDICs and virtual reality immersive environments are strongly present in the daily lives of the young participants of this study. With the results of this study can be seen that the EXGs work as a motivational factor for physical activity. The reports of the participants, as well as the data collected pertaining to their emotional states during the intervention sessions (POMS and Inventory Motivation, Virtual Games and Practice of Physical Activities / Sports), could contribute to the confirmation of the initial hypothesis that the EXGs contribute to its practitioners be motivated to carry out activities outside the virtual environment.

O panorama populacional do Brasil mostra um quadro de crescimento significativo nas taxas de sobrepeso e obesidade na infância e juventude. Essa realidade deve levar ao aumento da incidência de casos de doenças e, por consequência, ao aumento dos gastos públicos com saúde nos próximos anos. Diante dessa perspectiva, exergames - classe de jogos que buscam unir a diversão de jogos eletrônicos à promoção da saúde através da prática de atividades físicas - podem trazer uma contribuição significativa à sociedade. Entretanto, é necessário identificar a melhor forma de motivar as pessoas e definir as funcionalidades que favorecem o estímulo no ambiente do jogo. Este trabalho introduz o Running Wheel, um exergame de caminhada ou corrida em esteira ergométrica, com modos de jogo single player e multiplayer, nas versões competitivo (contra um adversário) e colaborativo (corrida em grupo cooperativo). O mjogo captura a velocidade da esteira e o ritmo cardíaco do jogador. A exibição é feita em um monitor instalado à frente da esteira. O sistema descrito foi implementado e uma metodologia desenvolvida para avaliação de duas hipóteses: a) existe diferença de desempenho entre os participantes que utilizam o Running Wheel no modo competitivo daqueles que experimentam o modo single player; e b) diferentes tipos de parceiros virtuais influenciam o desempenho, ou seja, correr contra si mesmo, contra alguém melhor, ou a livre escolha de um adversário de uma lista, pode levar a resultados distintos. Foram realizados experimentos com 12 voluntários ao longo de seis sessões de corrida, com 12 minutos de duração cada uma. As avaliações revelaram preferência dos participantes pelo modo multiplayer competitivo (10 usuários) sendo que a principal característica motivacional apontada foi o avatar (5 participantes), seguido do ambiente virtual (4 participantes). Os usuários do modo competitivo demonstraram um nível de esforço significativamente superior ao daqueles do modo single player, também confirmado por um ritmo cardíaco em média 5,9% maior, indicando que o modo competitivo teve uma capacidade de estímulo maior. As diferenças de distância e tipos de avatares, no entanto, não foram estatisticamente significantes, o que deverá ser investigado em pesquisas futuras. Os resultados evidenciaram a capacidade do exergame mudar a percepção dos usuário. Mesmo pessoas que inicialmente afirmaram não serem competitivas mudaram seu comportamento após a intervenção. Trabalhos futuros devem investigar o modo colaborativo em comparação com os outros modos, levando-se em conta aspectos de personalização do jogo como escolha das mensagens, e uso de avatares mais realistas. Outras áreas de interesse incluem métodos de geração de cenários baseados em locais públicos, e renderização de múltiplos avatares, simulando uma maratona virtual com mais competidores. / Developing countries like Brazil are witnessing important changes on demographics with increasing rates of overweight and obese children and young adults. These trends may lead to an increase of diseases, which in turn can cause an impact on public funds of health and social security. Considering this picture, exergames - class of games that combine health promotion to video games and thus fun - may bring an important contribution to change society. However, it’s necessary to acknowledge the main ways and features of stimulus that can be leveraged in this class of application, to promote a better incentive on the virtual gaming environment. In this work we introduce Running Wheel, an exergame with single player and multiplayer (competitive or collaborative) modes with real time capture of heartbeat rhythm and speed of a treadmill. The Running Wheel system is described and a methodology for its evaluation is presented, investigating two hypotheses: (a) there is difference between users that ran with the competitive mode versus the single player mode; and (b) there is difference in performance depending on the kind of competitor picked (three virtual competitors were tested: against oneself, against a better player or free selection from a list). We evaluated Running Wheel with 12 volunteers which performed at least 6 jogging sessions of 12 minutes each, following Cooper’s Fitness Test. Ten users preferred the competitive mode over the single player and reported the main source of motivation being the avatar (5 participants) followed by the virtual environment (4 participants). Volunteers of the competitive mode showed a superior level of effort with a heart beat rhythm 5.9% above when compared to those exercising on single player. However we did not find statistically significant differences of distance or among the different kinds of participants which should be addressed on a future research. Results confirmed that this exergame could change users’ behavior on competitiveness. Even volunteers that initially reported not being competitive at all had this perception changed after experimenting Running Wheel. Future works should investigate the collaborative mode against other modes and personalization features such as customized goals and incentive messages, more realistic avatars based on player’s physical appearance and scenarios modeled from real locations.

O panorama populacional do Brasil mostra um quadro de crescimento significativo nas taxas de sobrepeso e obesidade na infância e juventude. Essa realidade deve levar ao aumento da incidência de casos de doenças e, por consequência, ao aumento dos gastos públicos com saúde nos próximos anos. Diante dessa perspectiva, exergames - classe de jogos que buscam unir a diversão de jogos eletrônicos à promoção da saúde através da prática de atividades físicas - podem trazer uma contribuição significativa à sociedade. Entretanto, é necessário identificar a melhor forma de motivar as pessoas e definir as funcionalidades que favorecem o estímulo no ambiente do jogo. Este trabalho introduz o Running Wheel, um exergame de caminhada ou corrida em esteira ergométrica, com modos de jogo single player e multiplayer, nas versões competitivo (contra um adversário) e colaborativo (corrida em grupo cooperativo). O mjogo captura a velocidade da esteira e o ritmo cardíaco do jogador. A exibição é feita em um monitor instalado à frente da esteira. O sistema descrito foi implementado e uma metodologia desenvolvida para avaliação de duas hipóteses: a) existe diferença de desempenho entre os participantes que utilizam o Running Wheel no modo competitivo daqueles que experimentam o modo single player; e b) diferentes tipos de parceiros virtuais influenciam o desempenho, ou seja, correr contra si mesmo, contra alguém melhor, ou a livre escolha de um adversário de uma lista, pode levar a resultados distintos. Foram realizados experimentos com 12 voluntários ao longo de seis sessões de corrida, com 12 minutos de duração cada uma. As avaliações revelaram preferência dos participantes pelo modo multiplayer competitivo (10 usuários) sendo que a principal característica motivacional apontada foi o avatar (5 participantes), seguido do ambiente virtual (4 participantes). Os usuários do modo competitivo demonstraram um nível de esforço significativamente superior ao daqueles do modo single player, também confirmado por um ritmo cardíaco em média 5,9% maior, indicando que o modo competitivo teve uma capacidade de estímulo maior. As diferenças de distância e tipos de avatares, no entanto, não foram estatisticamente significantes, o que deverá ser investigado em pesquisas futuras. Os resultados evidenciaram a capacidade do exergame mudar a percepção dos usuário. Mesmo pessoas que inicialmente afirmaram não serem competitivas mudaram seu comportamento após a intervenção. Trabalhos futuros devem investigar o modo colaborativo em comparação com os outros modos, levando-se em conta aspectos de personalização do jogo como escolha das mensagens, e uso de avatares mais realistas. Outras áreas de interesse incluem métodos de geração de cenários baseados em locais públicos, e renderização de múltiplos avatares, simulando uma maratona virtual com mais competidores. / Developing countries like Brazil are witnessing important changes on demographics with increasing rates of overweight and obese children and young adults. These trends may lead to an increase of diseases, which in turn can cause an impact on public funds of health and social security. Considering this picture, exergames - class of games that combine health promotion to video games and thus fun - may bring an important contribution to change society. However, it’s necessary to acknowledge the main ways and features of stimulus that can be leveraged in this class of application, to promote a better incentive on the virtual gaming environment. In this work we introduce Running Wheel, an exergame with single player and multiplayer (competitive or collaborative) modes with real time capture of heartbeat rhythm and speed of a treadmill. The Running Wheel system is described and a methodology for its evaluation is presented, investigating two hypotheses: (a) there is difference between users that ran with the competitive mode versus the single player mode; and (b) there is difference in performance depending on the kind of competitor picked (three virtual competitors were tested: against oneself, against a better player or free selection from a list). We evaluated Running Wheel with 12 volunteers which performed at least 6 jogging sessions of 12 minutes each, following Cooper’s Fitness Test. Ten users preferred the competitive mode over the single player and reported the main source of motivation being the avatar (5 participants) followed by the virtual environment (4 participants). Volunteers of the competitive mode showed a superior level of effort with a heart beat rhythm 5.9% above when compared to those exercising on single player. However we did not find statistically significant differences of distance or among the different kinds of participants which should be addressed on a future research. Results confirmed that this exergame could change users’ behavior on competitiveness. Even volunteers that initially reported not being competitive at all had this perception changed after experimenting Running Wheel. Future works should investigate the collaborative mode against other modes and personalization features such as customized goals and incentive messages, more realistic avatars based on player’s physical appearance and scenarios modeled from real locations.

Submitted by William Paiva (williampaiva17@hotmail.com) on 2015-04-17T18:22:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 César Augusto Otero Vaghetti.pdf: 3899885 bytes, checksum: ba0136c01429d3c75cece5dc5b0f833f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vitor de Carvalho (vitor_carvalho_im@hotmail.com) on 2015-05-08T16:12:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 César Augusto Otero Vaghetti.pdf: 3899885 bytes, checksum: ba0136c01429d3c75cece5dc5b0f833f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-08T16:12:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 César Augusto Otero Vaghetti.pdf: 3899885 bytes, checksum: ba0136c01429d3c75cece5dc5b0f833f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / O jogo, nas suas diversas formas, constitui uma parte importante da aprendizagem e do processo de interação social das crianças. No contexto do desenvolvimento cognitivo, por exemplo, a reprodução é considerada fundamental para os processos de estabilização e para o desenvolvimento das estruturas cognitivas. Os videogames têm se tornado uma atividade ubíqua na sociedade atual. Os games, além de serem utilizados como entretenimento, também o são com o objetivo de educar ou de treinar alguma habilidade, nas áreas da educação e da computação. Dessa forma, os games fazem parte das novas tecnologias usadas para a criação de ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem, amplamente discutidas em educação em ciências. Recentemente, em razão da disponibilidade de utilização de tecnologias de sensoriamento e rastreio de baixo custo, uma nova classe de videogame surgiu: o exergame, combinando game e exercício físico. O objetivo desta tese foi explorar a experiência do uso de exergame em rede para o ensino de educação física no cyberspace, em crianças na idade escolar (n=39) e estudantes universitários (n=46), identificando seus aspectos motivacionais, através do uso da Teoria do Fluxo e da Teoria da Autodeterminação. Foi utilizado como instrumento de medida o Long Flow State Scale (FSS-2) – Physical para verificar a motivação dos estudantes no exergame Kinect Sports, modalidade table tennis, do console Kinect XBOX. Os resultados desta tese indicam que o sistema exergame Kinect table tennis possui feedback suficiente para o ensino das técnicas do tênis de mesa no cyberspace, local onde os jogadores trocaram informações acerca dos fundamentos desse esporte; assim, a observação dos movimentos do avatar também pôde ser utilizada para a aprendizagem motora. Os valores de fluxo encontrados nesta pesquisa confirmaram a hipótese de que os valores mais elevados estariam no grupo Networked. Embora tenham sido encontrados valores crescentes de fluxo a partir do grupo Singleplayer, com o menor valor, o único com valor médio acima de 4 (quatro) foi encontrado no grupo Networked, caracterizando, assim, um estado de fluxo. Exergames em rede podem ser usados como Social Exergames, ou seja, como redes sociais para atividades físicas. / The game is an important part of learning cognitive and social interaction of children. In the context of cognitive, for example, reproduction is considered essential for the stabilization processes, and for the development of cognitive structures. Video games have become a ubiquitous activity in today's society. Games, besides being used as entertainment, are being used in order to educate or train some skill in the areas of education and computing. Games are part of the new technologies used to create virtual learning environments widely discussed in science education. Recently due to the availability of use of sensing technologies and low cost screening, a new class of game emerged, the Exergame, matching game and exercise. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the use of Exergame network for teaching physical education in cyberspace, in school age children (n=39) and college students (n=46), identifying their motivational aspects through the use of Theory Flow and Self-Determination. The measuring instrument Long Flow State Scale (FSS-2) Physical was used to verify student motivation while playing Exergame Kinect Sports, table tennis modality, in Kinect XBOX console.The results of this thesis indicate the system Exergame Kinect table tennis has enough feedback to teaching the techniques of table tennis in cyberspace, where players exchanged information on the grounds of sport, thereby observing the movements of the avatar could also be used for motor learning. Flow values found in this study confirm the hypothesis that higher values would Networked group. Although we found increasing values of flow from the group Singleplayer, with the lowest value, the one with above average value of 4 (four) was found in the group Networked, characterizing a state of flux. Exergames network can be used as social exergames, i.e. how social networks to physical activities.

As society becomes more and more sedentary new solutions must be researched. One such possible solution is exergames.They are games that require physical movement to be played.By playing exergames a player can become less sedentary and get a bit of physical exercise. This thesis will examine the viability of a bubble shooter game as an exergame in order to potentially find another kind. This is to find if a bubble shooter is a game type that fits well with being made into an exergame. To do this a bubble shooter was developed and turned into an exergame. Then a small user test wascarried out in order to gather data on the viability of the game. These results showed that a bubble shooter works well as an exergame, and it has the potential to work really well.

This thesis aims to create an easy to play exergame that can be used by office workers in theirday-to-day work to battle the long-term consequences of a sedentary lifestyle. A sedentarylifestyle can lead to serious health risks such as obesity and diabetes. This gives exergames anopportunity to be implemented in the daily life of the affected. Exergames have evolved frombeing solely playable from their own console such as Wii or Xbox Kinect to only needing a webcamera, making it accessible and portable for office workers and others all around the globe. Theonly thing left is the actual exergames themselves. The goal of this thesis is to expand an existinglibrary of exergames with a unique boxing game. The research questions are as follows, 1: Howshould the game be designed to incite large body movements? 2: How will achieving higherscores impact the players' movement? Answering research question one will involve a lot of trialand error and creative thinking to come up with a solution that answers the question but alsofeels good to play. Research question two will require user data collected during the gameplay tobe analyzed to see relations between the total movement and the total score. Tracking elbows todetect whether a cube is hit as well as having cubes always spawn on opposite sides is anefficient way to incite large body movements as the player needs to rotate the entire upper bodyand reach further than tracking the wrists would have required. The analyzed user data showedthat there was a linear relation between achieving a higher score and the total movementexercised during the game. Gaps between the right-hand elbow and left-hand elbows’ totalmovement were also found.

<div> <div> <div> <p>Patients with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) have limited time with supervised therapy in rehabilitation hospitals. This makes it imperative for them to continue regular therapy at home so they can maximize motor recovery especially for performing Activities of Daily Living (ADL). However, physical therapy can be tedious and frustrating leading to a lack of motivation. A novel upper extremity movement measurement tool was developed using a commercial VR system to rapidly and objectively measure an individual’s range of motion, velocity of movement on an individual gesture basis, and frequency of movements in a three-dimensional space. Further, an exergame with varied and customizable gameplay parameters was developed. Through the analysis of participant interaction with the exergame, we identified gameplay parameters that can be adjusted to affect the player’s perceived and physiological effort. We observed that VR has a significant motivational effect on range of motion of upper limbs in individuals with tetraplegia. The motion data and kernel density estimation is used to determine areas of comfort. Moreover, the system allowed calculation of joint torques through inverse kinematics and dynamics to serve as an analysis tool to gauge muscular effort. The system can provide an improved rehabilitation experience for persons with tetraplegia in home settings while allowing oversight by clinical therapists through analysis of mixed reality videos or it could be used as a supplement or alternative to conventional therapy. </p> </div> </div> </div>

There have been an increase of certain health risks since more and more people sit infront of their computer for longer periods of time. Studies show that there is a need of morephysical activity for people who are living a more sedentary lifestyle. This thesis suggesta solution, the design of an exergame where people can take a 2-minute brake to preventa decline of their health. This thesis researches how to design an exergame in such a waywhere high scores will lead to more movement while playing the game. The creators of thegame collects data by playing the game for 100 play sessions each where the collected dataconsists of total movement, different jumps and high score.

Purpose: Transitioning into retirement may be a suitable period to help adults establish an active lifestyle. One innovative approach to promote PA may be through multimedia-based programs. This experiment aimed to explore the feasibility DVD and videogame-based exercise programs in promoting physical activity (PA) in adults transitioning into retirement. Underlying motivations, functional fitness, quality of life, and elicited beliefs from participating in the exercise programs were also explored. Methods: Twenty-seven adults were randomized into either a nine-week exercise DVD (n = 9), exergame (n = 9), or waitlisted control group (n = 9). Main outcomes include adherence was based on attendance during the in-lab component and participant logs during the in-home component. PA levels were measured through accelerometery and assessed at baseline, four-, nine- and 12-weeks. Secondary outcomes related to motivation were assessed at baseline, three- and nine-weeks. Tertiary outcomes such as physiological/functional fitness and quality of life outcomes were assessed at pre- and post-intervention. Results: During the in-lab portion, t-tests showed that adherence was slightly higher in the exergame group than the DVD group (t16 = -0.06, p = .96; d = .31). Repeated measures of analysis showed that the group x time interaction for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (F2,24 = 0.87, p = .52; η2 = .05), while overall PA saw negligible changes (F2,24 = 0.16, p = .85; η2 = .01). At the end of the intervention, overall adherence was similar between both exercise groups (t16 = -0.06, p = .96; d = .03). The group by time interaction effect yielded a moderate effect size for MVPA (F2,24 = 1.07, p = .36; η2 = .08) and overall PA (F2,24 = 1.11, p = .35; η2 = .08). Overall PA only increased in the exergame group (d = .74). The exergame group saw major decreases in instrumental attitude (d = .64), injunctive norm (d = .79), perceived behavioural control (d = .40) and intention (d = .90). Both exercise groups enhanced strength, mobility, and aerobic endurance outcomes (d = .33-.98), as well as several quality of life domains (d = .32-.89). At the post-intervention follow-up, both exercise groups were more active than the control group (d = .49-1.03). Two-thirds of the DVD group adopted DVD-based exercise, while a third of exergame group adopted videogame-based exercise. Conclusions: With a high adoption rate, DVD-based exercise programs may be a feasible and acceptable approach to promote PA levels. Participants in both groups were generally satisfied, indicating that the exercise program was enjoyable, comprehensive, and a simple and convenient way to exercise at home. Improvements to important functional and quality of life domains were also identified. Further research will be required to fully test the effectiveness of exercise DVDs and exergames on adherence and PA behaviour in adults transitioning into retirement. / Graduate / 0384 / christopher.yao7@gmail.com