Movement interaction in games has over the last years been a main subject in the area of game design and recent motion based interaction systems provide many improvements over earlier systems. Research has proven that motion based games provide several benefits over general games, they increase the players’ engagement level and may induce both mental and physical health benefits. Still, not much research has been conducted in the area of motion based platform games, even though the platform game genre is one of the most popular game genres. In this thesis, a case study is conducted in order to extract design principles and guidelines applicable for motion based platform games. The study includes implementation of a browser-based 2D platform game that uses the web camera to provide motion based interaction. One of the conclusions in this study indicates that many game features from ordinary platform games only require minor modifications to be applicable for motion based platform games.

This thesis explores how we might design the interaction between the screen and participant in a pre-recorded online workout to enhance body awareness. This thesis uses a user-centred design approach combined with autoethnographic research to address the challenges of pre-recorded video workouts. The aim is to contribute to the interaction design practice by exploring the body’s role with screens in movement interaction to create meaningful experiences using human pose estimation. The thesis relates to theory about the mechanics of the body, body awareness and observation of movements. Analysing insights about feedback, guidance, and peripheral cues in online workouts, has led to designing for kinaesthetic development with the focus on helping the user to reflect on their body and come aware of their movements. By designing for a learning environment where the screens pace adapts depending on the participant’s learning ability can contribute to increase body awareness of the participants.