Conceptual Design of an Extended Reality Exercise Game for the Elderly

Abstract

Facing the increasingly serious ageing problem, IT technology is being applied more and more to alleviate the increasing health demands of the elderly. Virtual reality (VR) games, in particular, have been shown to benefit the physical and mental health of the elderly. However, almost all consumer-level VR games address the general user, not considering the characteristics of the elderly, such as their particular needs regarding cognitive aspects and safety. In addition, the existing VR rowing games’ research typically focuses on athlete training or is based on a rowing machine. Extending on previous research, this paper proposes a conceptual design of a VR rowing game, VRrowing to provide a home exercise game for the elderly which benefits both physical and mental health. This research first analysed the relevant literature and existing VR exercise games for the elderly to find characteristics and their particular needs. Then, following design principles (in exercise games, human–computer interaction, and user interfaces (UIs)) for the elderly, this study proposed a conceptual design of VRrowing through the MDA framework (standing for mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics). The results cover the system architecture, activities and tasks, patterns and roles, mechanics and structures, and UI examples. Based on comprehensive consideration of the results from relevant research and fostering strengths and circumventing weaknesses, VRrowing was designed as a sports game, aimed at the elderly according to their characteristics and needs, which fills the void of home VR rowing games for seniors’ exercise. This research has reference value for scientific research or development personnel in VR game applications and evaluations, especially for such games targeting the elderly.

Health research: current challenges and future perspectives 3

“…Metabolic syndrome 36,46,47,49,50 Microbial resistance 78,79,81 Multidisciplinary service 89 O Obesity 36,45,46,47,48,49,50 Occlusal vertical dimension 23,24,25,26,29,30,31,32,33,34 Occlusion clinic 23,24 Older adults 51,55,59,60,61,62,63,75,76…”

“…Rehabilitation 24,26,29,30,51,53,54,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,74,75,76 Reliability 33,34,64 T 39,40,41,42,43,44,45…”

Special Issue on New Frontiers in Virtual Reality: Methods, Devices and Applications

“…Last, the concept paper of Fu and colleagues [7], titled Conceptual Design of an Extended Reality Exercise Game for the Elderly, presents a conceptual design for a VR rowing game that can help provide home exercise to the elderly to benefit both their physical and mental health. This design has been particularly adapted to the particular needs of elderly users, and the final design includes the system architecture, activities and tasks, patterns and roles, mechanics, and UI examples.…”

The Technology Acceptance Model and Older Adults’ Exercise Intentions—A Systematic Literature Review

“…In recent years, the use of sports and wellness technology has become more popular, as the variety of applications and devices has increased [ 16 ]. For example, IT technology is being applied more frequently to mitigate the increasing health demands of older adults [ 17 ]. Thus, technological advancements, in recent years, have created opportunities to develop applications that support training at home, especially for older adults, as they can be more socially isolated and less physically active, and they have fewer opportunities to receive training in fitness centers [ 18 ].…”