Creation and Evaluation of Exer Dungeon - A multi-player exergame using exercise bikes

This report is a study into different topics to create and develop an exergame (Exertion game) for gamers who do not enjoy exercise. To develop such a game, the different topics of research were previous exergames and technologies, and what makes video games fun to play. Exergames are video games that require physical activity in order to be played. The goal of these games is to encourage players to exercise, by using gameplay as a means to make exercise a more enjoyable experience. There exist several exergames currently on the market, but many of them were developed to target the casual gamer demographic, which are people who only play video games in short sessions at a time. Hardcore gamers are people who play in long sessions and consider playing video games as a main hobby. Sitting for long periods of time with little to no exercise can cause health problems, and since casual gamers do not play games as much as a hardcore gamer, they are at less risk to get diseases such as diabetes type 2. Through researching flow and rewards in video games, a game concept was designed and developed into a prototype in Unity. Cognitive flow is a state of mind in which people become hyperfocused on the task at hand, and is considered a method of evaluating enjoyment. The concept was designed to allow players to enter a state of flow, such that players become less aware of their fatigue during play. Rewards are needed in video games to give the players an incentive to continue playing. The final version of the game was tested with a small group of players which were interviewed after the session in order to gather data. They answered in the interview that they enjoyed the game and that they could use it as a method of warming up. On one hand the test was missing data in order to draw a conclusion on the exercise effect of the game, but on the other hand it pointed in the direction that the game was fun to play and can be further developed to create a more complete gaming and workout experience