Mobile Exergaming in Adolescents’ Everyday Life—Contextual Design of Where, When, with Whom, and How: The SmartLife Case.

Auteurs

Schwarz, Ayla, DeSmet, A., Cardon, G., Chastin, S., Costa, R., Grilo, A., Ferri, J., et al. (2018).

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Abstract

Dit artikel gaat over ‘exergames’, oftewel games waarbij je dient te bewegen. Deze type games zijn populair en, zo heeft onderzoek aangetoond, stimuleren fysieke activiteit. Echter, het effect ervan is doorgaans van korte duur. Het doel van deze studie was nagaan hoe dergelijke games aangepast zouden kunnen worden in hoeverre deze geïntegreerd kunnen worden in het leven van jongeren, zodat het effect ervan groter zou kunnen worden. Hiertoe werden 8 focusgroepen met in totaal 49 Vlaamse jongeren (leeftijd: 11-17) georganiseerd. Uit de analyse blijkt dat jongeren weldegelijk meer mogelijkheden voor deze games in hun leven zien, bijvoorbeeld tijdens vrije tijd en verplaatsing (voornamelijk van en naar school). De jongeren zouden echter ook graag de games thuis kunnen spelen. Ze waarderen ook sterk de sociale aspecten van dergelijke games, zoals het spelen in teams. Smart clothing leek hen ook interessant.

Engels Exergames, more specifically console-based exergames, are generally enjoyed by adolescents and known to increase physical activity. Nevertheless, they have a reduced usage over time and demonstrate little effectiveness over the long term. In order to increase playing time, mobile exergames may increase potential playing time, but need to be engaging and integrated in everyday life. The goal of the present study was to examine the context of gameplay for mobile exergaming in adolescents’ everyday life to inform game design and the integration of gameplay into everyday life. Eight focus groups were conducted with 49 Flemish adolescents (11 to 17 years of age). The focus groups were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed by means of thematic analysis via Nvivo 11 software (QSR International Pty Ltd., Victoria, Australia). The adolescents indicated leisure time and travel time to and from school as suitable timeframes for playing a mobile exergame. Outdoor gameplay should be restricted to the personal living environment of adolescents. Besides outdoor locations, the game should also be adaptable to at-home activities. Activities could vary from running outside to fitness exercises inside. Furthermore, the social context of the game was important, e.g., playing in teams or meeting at (virtual) meeting points. Physical activity tracking via smart clothing was identified as a motivator for gameplay. By means of this study, game developers may be better equipped to develop mobile exergames that embed gameplay in adolescents’ everyday life.

Referentie

Schwarz, Ayla, DeSmet, A., Cardon, G., Chastin, S., Costa, R., Grilo, A., Ferri, J., et al. (2018). Mobile Exergaming in Adolescents’ Everyday Life—Contextual Design of Where, When, with Whom, and How: The SmartLife Case. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(5).

Taal

Engels

 

Publicatievorm

Tijdschriftartikel

ISBN – DOI

ISSN 1660-4601; CODEN: IJERGQ; ISSN 1661-7827 for printed edition

Trefwoord(en)

Mobile exergame; adolescents; contextual design; everyday life; health intervention