This paper details the design, development, and testing of virtual augmented exercise (VAE) gaming for older adults. Three versions of an underwater VAE environment were tested with a sample of 22 healthy adults aged 50 or over. Participants strongly preferred VAE to traditional physical exercise, and adherence rate was 100%. The findings suggest that VAE with puzzles changes or negates the expected negative associations among exercise outcomes. Fitness level was not associated with performance in the game, irrespective of VAE type, indicating that persons who are less physically fit can expect to perform similarly to those who are more physically fit. In conclusion, the research found some evidence for the benefits of VAE with cognitive exercise (solving simple puzzles and hitting targets based on the answer). This type of exercise appears to be a promising method of exercise for older adults.
This chapter undertakes a methodological study of virtual environments (VEs), a specific subset of interactive systems. It takes as a central theme the tension between the engineering and aesthetic notions of VE design. First of all method is defined in terms of underlying model, language, process model, and heuristics. The underlying model is characterized as an integration of Interaction Machines and Semiotics with the intention to make the design tension work to the designer’s benefit rather than trying to eliminate it. The language is then developed as a juxtaposition of UML and the integration of a range of semiotics-based theories. This leads to a discussion of a process model and the activities that comprise it. The intention throughout is not to build a particular VE design method, but to investigate the methodological concerns and constraints such a method should address.
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