A presente tese de doutorado traz como tema central o uso de exergames como uma nova proposta de integração e recurso para aulas de Educação Física. O intuito desta pesquisa é fornecer subsídios para que professores possam utilizar esta tecnologia na realização de atividades escolares em aulas ou em projetos complementares envolvendo movimentos corporais amplos. Como objetivo geral, este estudo visa investigar de que maneira um laboratório experimental de exergames pode contribuir com o engajamento de alunos que geralmente apresentam sinais de insatisfação na prática de atividades físicas. Além deste aspecto principal, este estudo investigou como os alunos colaboram, intercambiam ideias e apoiam uns aos outros na realização das atividades no laboratório. Os preceitos de engajamento envolvendo interesse, entusiasmo e curiosidade foram analisados durante as interações dos alunos com os videogames ativos nos estudos desenvolvidos. Também, foram observados os principais aspectos e desafios pedagógicos na implementação de tecnologias como o laboratório de exergames no contexto escolar e suas implicações durante as mediações em aulas com o uso dos videogames ativos. Uma metodologia de cunho qualitativo foi empregada para a coleta e análise dos dados, utilizando: a) observação não participante a partir de registros gravados nos encontros do Laboratório de Exergames; b) realização de entrevista semiestruturada com os professores de Educação Física e coordenador de Educação Física. A partir dos estudos realizados foi possível observar que o laboratório de exergames se configura como uma alternativa viável para as aulas regulares de Educação Física, podendo aumentar o nível de engajamento e colaboração de alunos com sinais de insatisfação com as atividades propostas nas aulas regulares. / The present Doctoral Thesis project brings as central theme the use of exergames as a new integration and resource proposal for Physical Education classes. The intention for this research is to provide new pedagogical tools for teachers to use this technology for interactive activities involving active body movements. As main objective, this study aims to investigate how an experimental exergames lab can contribute with students engagement that usually show signs of dissatisfaction in practices of physical activities. Furthermore, it has been our goal to understand how students collaborate, exchange ideas and support each other in the activities in the exergames lab. The concept of engagement involving interest, enthusiasm and curiosity was analyzed during the interaction of the students with the videogames. The main pedagogical challenges in the implementation of technologies with the exergames lab in the school context have been observed, as well as their implications during the use of video games in the classes. A qualitative research method was adopted for the collection and analysis of data: (a) we followed mainly a non-participant observation through recorded videos; (b) semi-structured interviews were made with the Physical Education teachers and Physical Education coordinator involved in the research. The study carried out enabled us to conclude that the exergames lab may be a viable alternative to regular Physical Education classes, being able to increase the level of engagement and collaboration of students with signs of dissatisfaction with the activities proposed in the regular classes.

A presente tese de doutorado traz como tema central o uso de exergames como uma nova proposta de integração e recurso para aulas de Educação Física. O intuito desta pesquisa é fornecer subsídios para que professores possam utilizar esta tecnologia na realização de atividades escolares em aulas ou em projetos complementares envolvendo movimentos corporais amplos. Como objetivo geral, este estudo visa investigar de que maneira um laboratório experimental de exergames pode contribuir com o engajamento de alunos que geralmente apresentam sinais de insatisfação na prática de atividades físicas. Além deste aspecto principal, este estudo investigou como os alunos colaboram, intercambiam ideias e apoiam uns aos outros na realização das atividades no laboratório. Os preceitos de engajamento envolvendo interesse, entusiasmo e curiosidade foram analisados durante as interações dos alunos com os videogames ativos nos estudos desenvolvidos. Também, foram observados os principais aspectos e desafios pedagógicos na implementação de tecnologias como o laboratório de exergames no contexto escolar e suas implicações durante as mediações em aulas com o uso dos videogames ativos. Uma metodologia de cunho qualitativo foi empregada para a coleta e análise dos dados, utilizando: a) observação não participante a partir de registros gravados nos encontros do Laboratório de Exergames; b) realização de entrevista semiestruturada com os professores de Educação Física e coordenador de Educação Física. A partir dos estudos realizados foi possível observar que o laboratório de exergames se configura como uma alternativa viável para as aulas regulares de Educação Física, podendo aumentar o nível de engajamento e colaboração de alunos com sinais de insatisfação com as atividades propostas nas aulas regulares. / The present Doctoral Thesis project brings as central theme the use of exergames as a new integration and resource proposal for Physical Education classes. The intention for this research is to provide new pedagogical tools for teachers to use this technology for interactive activities involving active body movements. As main objective, this study aims to investigate how an experimental exergames lab can contribute with students engagement that usually show signs of dissatisfaction in practices of physical activities. Furthermore, it has been our goal to understand how students collaborate, exchange ideas and support each other in the activities in the exergames lab. The concept of engagement involving interest, enthusiasm and curiosity was analyzed during the interaction of the students with the videogames. The main pedagogical challenges in the implementation of technologies with the exergames lab in the school context have been observed, as well as their implications during the use of video games in the classes. A qualitative research method was adopted for the collection and analysis of data: (a) we followed mainly a non-participant observation through recorded videos; (b) semi-structured interviews were made with the Physical Education teachers and Physical Education coordinator involved in the research. The study carried out enabled us to conclude that the exergames lab may be a viable alternative to regular Physical Education classes, being able to increase the level of engagement and collaboration of students with signs of dissatisfaction with the activities proposed in the regular classes.

A presente tese de doutorado traz como tema central o uso de exergames como uma nova proposta de integração e recurso para aulas de Educação Física. O intuito desta pesquisa é fornecer subsídios para que professores possam utilizar esta tecnologia na realização de atividades escolares em aulas ou em projetos complementares envolvendo movimentos corporais amplos. Como objetivo geral, este estudo visa investigar de que maneira um laboratório experimental de exergames pode contribuir com o engajamento de alunos que geralmente apresentam sinais de insatisfação na prática de atividades físicas. Além deste aspecto principal, este estudo investigou como os alunos colaboram, intercambiam ideias e apoiam uns aos outros na realização das atividades no laboratório. Os preceitos de engajamento envolvendo interesse, entusiasmo e curiosidade foram analisados durante as interações dos alunos com os videogames ativos nos estudos desenvolvidos. Também, foram observados os principais aspectos e desafios pedagógicos na implementação de tecnologias como o laboratório de exergames no contexto escolar e suas implicações durante as mediações em aulas com o uso dos videogames ativos. Uma metodologia de cunho qualitativo foi empregada para a coleta e análise dos dados, utilizando: a) observação não participante a partir de registros gravados nos encontros do Laboratório de Exergames; b) realização de entrevista semiestruturada com os professores de Educação Física e coordenador de Educação Física. A partir dos estudos realizados foi possível observar que o laboratório de exergames se configura como uma alternativa viável para as aulas regulares de Educação Física, podendo aumentar o nível de engajamento e colaboração de alunos com sinais de insatisfação com as atividades propostas nas aulas regulares. / The present Doctoral Thesis project brings as central theme the use of exergames as a new integration and resource proposal for Physical Education classes. The intention for this research is to provide new pedagogical tools for teachers to use this technology for interactive activities involving active body movements. As main objective, this study aims to investigate how an experimental exergames lab can contribute with students engagement that usually show signs of dissatisfaction in practices of physical activities. Furthermore, it has been our goal to understand how students collaborate, exchange ideas and support each other in the activities in the exergames lab. The concept of engagement involving interest, enthusiasm and curiosity was analyzed during the interaction of the students with the videogames. The main pedagogical challenges in the implementation of technologies with the exergames lab in the school context have been observed, as well as their implications during the use of video games in the classes. A qualitative research method was adopted for the collection and analysis of data: (a) we followed mainly a non-participant observation through recorded videos; (b) semi-structured interviews were made with the Physical Education teachers and Physical Education coordinator involved in the research. The study carried out enabled us to conclude that the exergames lab may be a viable alternative to regular Physical Education classes, being able to increase the level of engagement and collaboration of students with signs of dissatisfaction with the activities proposed in the regular classes.

Technology such as television, computers, and video games are often in the line for reasons of why people lack physical activity and tend to gain weight and become obese. In the case of video games, with the advent of the so called “serious games initiative”, a new breed of video games have come into place. Such games are called “exergames” and they are intended to motivate the user to do physical activity. Although there is some evidence that some types of Exergames are more physically demanding than traditional sedentary games, there is also evidence that suggests that such games are not really providing the intensity of exert that is at the recommended levels for a daily exercise. Currently, most exergames have a passive approach. There is no real tracking of the players progress, there is no assessment of his/her level of exert, no contextual information, and there is no adaptability on the game itself to change the conditions of the game and prompt the desired physiological response on the player. In this thesis we present research work done towards the design and development of an architecture and related systems that support a shift in the exertion game paradigm. The contributions of this work are enablers in the design and development of exertion games with a strict serious game approach. Such games should have “exercising” as the primary goal, and a game engine that has been developed under this scheme should be aware of the exertion context of the player. The game should be aware of the level of exertion of the player and adapt the gaming context (in-game variables and exertion interface settings) so that the player can reach a predefined exertion rate as desired. To support such degree of adaptability in a multimedia, multimodal system, we have proposed a system architecture that lays down the general guidelines for the design and development of such systems.

It is well known that home exercise is as good as rehab center. Unfortunately, passive devices such as dumbbells, elastic bands, stress balls and tubing that have been widely used for home-based arm rehabilitation do not provide therapists with the information needed to monitor the patient’s progress, identify any impairment, and suggest treatments. Moreover, the lack of interactivity of these devices turns the rehabilitation exercises into a boring, unpleasant task. In this thesis, we introduce a family of home-based post-stroke rehabilitation systems aimed at solving the aforementioned problems. We call such applications: “Shared Haptic Environment on the Cloud for Arm Rehabilitation Exercises (SHECARE)”. The systems combine recent rehabilitation approaches with efficient, yet affordable skeleton tracking input technologies, and multimodal interactive computer environment. In addition, the systems provide a real-time feedback to the stroke patients, summarize the feedback after each session, and predict the overall recovery progress. Moreover, these systems show a new style of home-based rehabilitation approach that motivate the patients by engaging the whole family and friends in the rehabilitation process and allow the therapists to remotely assess the progress of the patients and adjust the training strategy accordingly. Two mathematical models have been presented in this thesis. The first model is developed to find the relationship between upper extremity kinematics and the associated forces/strength. The second model is used to evaluate the medical condition of the stroke patients and predict their recovery progress depending on their performance history. The objective assessments, clinical tests, and the subjective assessments, usability studies have shown the feasibility of the proposed systems for rehabilitation in stroke patients with upper limb motor dysfunction.

Physical activities like walking have proven health benefits. People are adopting fitness trackers to track physical activity, but they often stop using them after a relatively short time. Many apps and games exist in the app markets that use gamification to tackle this problem of motivation. In this thesis, we examined these existing gamified fitness tracker apps from app markets and looked at the usage of different game elements within these apps. We conducted a systematic review of existing fitness Tracker Apps from Google Play Store and Apple App Store and used a mixed-method approach to identify apps, categorize them by different game elements used and found gaps in the design space using basic statistics, group clustering algorithms, and network analysis using NodeXL. We also developed a mobile game that combines step tracker data, a compelling narrative, and a strategic resource management mechanic with social cooperative-collaborative gameplay to encourage users to keep using fitness trackers and exercise more. It utilizes game elements and mechanics that haven't been explored by previous research or games as validated by our results from the systematic review of gamified fitness tracker apps.

Background: A sedentary lifestyle is becoming more common as our society is shift-ing away from physical labour. Many workplaces offer work from home arrangements,schools offer tutoring over the internet and children’s playgrounds, once full of life, aremostly empty. The availability of gaming devices, smartphones and social media havemade a big impact on the way we choose to live. With that comes the challenges of neg-ative health effects on a population level. Gaming has traditionally been thought of as asedentary activity in front of a desk and screen, but the development of exergames andthe rise of gamification has changed our perception of gaming and in some cases beenshown to be directly beneficial for our health. Objectives: A gamification project led byErik Berglund at the department of Computer and Information Sciences at Linköping Uni-versity is investigating if exergames can be enjoyed, give users a feeling of control, andlead to heightened exertion levels. With this in mind, we set out to develop a 2D racingexergame, PhysiKart, controlled by a face-tracking machine algorithm from Google’s Me-diaPipe library. Method: 14 participants tested the game 3-5 times where each sessionlasted 2 minutes. The participants filled out the Exergame Enjoyment Questionnaire andrated their exertion levels on the RPE scale. Results: Most participants found the gameresponsive to the control system and that the scoring system motivated them to continueplaying. However, the users perceived the immersion of the game to be lower than desiredand is believed to be a consequence of the slow pacing and the short rounds of the game. Conclusions: Through the survey it was confirmed that using face-tracking software foran exergame is suitable to achieve low levels of exertion. By changing the control motionsof the game it would be possible to increase the exertion while still utilizing face-tracking.

Denna studie utforskar lärarnas åsikter om användningen av informations- och kommunikationsteknik (IKT) för att främja fysisk aktivitet på fritidshem i Sverige. Genom en kvalitativ ansats analyseras lärarnas synpunkter och strategier för att integrera digitala verktyg, särskilt Exergames så som Just Dance, i undervisningen. Resultaten visar en mångfald av åsikter, från starkt stöd till mer återhållsamma attityder, men en övergripande positiv inställning till användningen av digitala verktyg för att främja fysisk aktivitet är tydlig. Kunskapsutbyte mellan lärare identifieras som avgörande för professionell utveckling, medan tillgången till resurser för digital pedagogik varierar och påverkar i hög grad lärarnas användning av teknologi i undervisningen. Sammantaget betonar studien betydelsen av att integrera IKT på ett meningsfullt sätt för att främja elevernas hälsa och lärande i fritidshemmet.

Introduction: Exergames appear as an excellent way for the change of sedentary behavior and source of regular physical activity practice in children and adolescents. Objective: To verify the effectiveness of exergames in physical education classes to provide cardiorespiratory, neuromotors and flexibility changes in children. Methods: 59 schoolchildren aged 8 to 10 years, divided into two groups, were randomly assigned to CG (n = 30) and EG (n = 29). The results were shown in two manuscripts. In the first one, the cardiorespiratory response was observed in 16 sessions with the use of exergames. In the second study, the neuromotor responses were observed. In both manuscripts the statistical analysis was made from factorial ANOVA 2x2, with effect size and p <0.05. In all analyzes, SPSS for Windows, version 23.0 was used. Results: The first manuscript identified significant increase in students who practiced exergames in physical education classes, F (1, 30) = 13,236; p <0.05; r = 0.54 In addition, the control group did not show significant change during the intervention time F (1.30) = 0.32; p = 0.57; r = 0.10 and in the comparison between the groups there was a significant difference in cardiorespiratory adaptation F (1, 33) = 6.27; p <0.05; r = 0.41. The second manuscript identified when analyzing the level of flexibility between the groups, significant changes, F (1,30) = 7,683; p <0.01; r = 0.45 and presented a significant change in GE F (1.30) = 15.1; p <0.01; r = 0.57 and showed no significant changes in GC F (1.30) = 0.52; p = 0.47; r = 0.13. In the variable Strength of upper limbs only showed significant adaptation in the GE F (1.30) = 5.01; p <0.05; r = 0.37, showed no significant changes in CG and between groups. In the abdominal strength variable, there were no significant changes. Conclusion: the use of exergames in physical education classes promoted significant adaptations in the cardiorespiratory variable. In the same way that it promoted significant adaptations in the levels of flexibility and strength of upper limbs in its practitioners, but did not significantly alter the abdominal strength variable. / Introdução: Os exergames aparecem como um excelente caminho para a mudança do comportamento sedentário e fonte de prática de atividade física regular em crianças e adolescentes. Objetivo: Verificar a efetividade do uso dos exergames em aulas de educação física para proporcionar alterações cardiorrespiratórias, neuromotoras e de flexibilidade em crianças. Métodos: Participaram do estudo 59 escolares com faixa etária entre 8 e 10 anos, distribuídos em dois grupos, organizados aleatoriamente em GC (n=30) e GE (n=29). Os resultados foram mostrados em dois manuscritos. No primeiro, foi observada a resposta cardiorrespiratória, em 16 sessões, com o uso de exergames. No segundo manuscrito, observaram-se as respostas neuromotoras. Em ambos os manuscritos a análise estatística foi feita a partir da ANOVA fatorial 2x2, com tamanho do efeito e p<0,05. Em todas as análises foi utilizada o SPSS for Windows, versão 23.0. Resultados: O primeiro manuscrito identificou aumento significativo nos alunos que praticaram exergames nas aulas de educação física, F (1, 30) = 13,236; p<0,05; r= 0,54 Além disso, notou-se o grupo controle não apresentou alteração significativa durante o tempo de intervenção F (1,30) = 0,32; p=0,57; r= 0,10 e na comparação entre os grupos ocorreu diferença significativa de adaptação cardiorrespiratória F(1, 33) = 6,27; p< 0,05; r= 0,41. O segundo manuscrito identificou ao analisar o nível de flexibilidade entre os grupos, alterações significativas, F(1,30) = 7,683; p< 0,01; r= 0,45 e apresentou alteração significativa no GE F(1,30)= 15,1; p< 0,01; r=0,57 e não mostrou alterações significativas no GC F(1,30)= 0,52; p=0,47; r= 0,13. Na variável Força de membros superiores apenas apresentou adaptação significativa no GE F(1,30)= 5,01; p<0,05; r=0,37, não apresentou alterações significativa no GC e entre os grupos. Na variável força abdominal, não houveram alterações significativas. Conclusão: o uso dos exergames nas aulas de educação física promoveram adaptações significativas na variável cardiorrespiratória. Da mesma forma que promoveu adaptações significativas nos níveis de flexibilidade e força de membros superiores em seus praticantes, mas não alterou significativamente a variável força abdominal. / São Cristóvão, SE

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of physical exercise on different skills that affect e-sports performance for e-sportsmen at amateur level in the game Overwatch. This is to gain knowledge about how e-sports training could be developed and streamlined. Methods The study is of the explorative research type since it deals with a topic that haven’t previously been broadly investigated. The method used was a quantitative exploratory method. The design was an intervention study. Results The study has not been able to demonstrate that skills affecting e-sports performance have changed through physical training. However, it is possible to read that the study participants who received the training intervention are more susceptible to and aware of changes in these skills compared to the study participants in the control group. Conclusions The purpose of the study has not been answered because the design was inadequate. However, the study may form the basis for further research. A number of important basic assumptions have been identified during the work. Based on these lessons a discussion took place, about how design deficiencies can be addressed and what is important to consider in future studies in the field. / Syfte Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vilka effekter fysisk träning har på olika färdigheter som påverkar e-sportprestation hos e-sportare på amatörnivå i spelet Overwatch. Detta för att få kunskap om hur träning inom e-sport skulle kunna utvecklas och effektiviseras. Metod Studien är av typen explorativ forskning då den behandlar ett ämne som inte undersökts i större utsträckning tidigare. Metoden som tillämpades var en kvantitativ explorativ metod. Designen var en interventionsstudie. Resultat Studien har inte kunnat påvisa att färdigheter som påverkar e-sportprestation har förändrats i och med fysisk träning. Däremot går det att avläsa att de studiedeltagare som fick genomgå träningsinterventionen är mer mottagliga för och medvetna om förändringar rörande dessa färdigheter jämfört med studiedeltagarna i kontrollgruppen. Slutsatser Syftet med studien har inte kunnat besvaras i och med att designen varit bristfällig. Studien kan dock ligga till grund för vidare forskning. Ett antal viktiga grundförutsättningar har identifierats under arbetet. Utifrån dessa lärdomar diskuterades hur designbristerna kan åtgärdas och vad som är viktigt att tänka på vid framtida studier inom området.