DOCSLIB.ORG

Challenges in Evaluating Exergames with Older Adults

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Challenges in Evaluating Exergames with Older Adults Did They Really Like the Game? -- Challenges in Evaluating Exergames with Older Adults Jan Smeddinck .athrin M. Gerling AEstract University of Bremen 8niversity of Saskatchewan Exergames offer exciting perspectives not only for rec- Bibliothekstrae 1 110 Science Place reational, but also for therapeutic use. Increasing num- Bremen 28359, Germany Saskatoon S7N 5C9, Canada Eers of older adults in many industrialized countries smeddinck#tzi.de [email protected] raise the need for affordable and reliaEle solutions to help people to stay healthy and fit at advanced ages. Marc Herrlich Rainer 0alaka :hile games user research is vital to increasing the University of Bremen 8niversity of Bremen Tuality of game designs and improving game design Bibliothekstrae 1 BiEliothekstrae 1 processes, many research tools are difficult to use with Bremen 28359, Germany Bremen 28359, Germany senior gamers, and the target group is especially vul- [email protected] [email protected] nerable to mistakes both in game design and games user research. 0arNus Krause :e report and classify some of these challenges along University of Bremen with possible approaches, aiming to fuel intensified ex- Bibliothekstrae 1 change about methodological experiences among re- Bremen 28359, Germany searchers in the field. [email protected] Author .eywords Evaluation, methodology, games, entertainment, game design, older adults, physical therapy. ACM Classification Keywords ..4.2 [Computers and Society]: Social Issues ± Assis- Copyright is held by the author/owner(s). tive technologies for people with disabilities, Handi- CHI‘12, May 5±10, 2012, Austin, Texas, USA. capped persons/special needs; K.8.0 [Personal Compu- AC0 978-1-4503-1016-1/12/05. ting]: General - Games. Introduction Challenges: Evaluating Games with Elderly ,ndustrialized societies are faced with a growing num- The challenges that were noted in a range of studies ber of older adults, and many industries have started to involving exergames developed at the 8niversity of embrace senior citizens as a new target audience. Even Bremen, Germany (Figure 1) and the University of Sas- in video game development, which has traditionally Natchewan, Canada (Figure 2) can be categorized focused on a younger audience, older adults are in- roughly as general challenges related to the evaluation creasingly considered a valuable user group. Yet, little of games with older adults, as well as challenges specif- is Nnown aEout their needs regarding interface and ic to the evaluation of exergames for the elderly. Figure 1. Cinderella is a multi- game design. This is particularly difficult when design- General Challenges player game for up to three play- ing exergames, which aim to encourage players to re- ers. The game encourages move- Four general game-related challenges were observed ments according to music rhythm. main physically active [8]. Since motion detection has during our studies, ranging from issues caused by the 0ovements are based on Ninesiatric Eecome part of mainstream gaming hardware (Ninten- impact of age-related changes to a lacN of gaming ex- exercises. ,t is part of the Wuppdi! do Wii controllers, Sony Playstation Move, Microsoft suite that contains five small games perience and a low level of computer literacy, which for the support of motion-Eased .inect, etc.), games that motivate physical activities influences the perception of games among older adults. therapy for ParNinson‘s disease are availaEle to a wide range of users. Although re- patients. search suggests that such games are beneficial for old- Anxiety related to technology necessary for an evalua- er adults [7], age-related changes and impairments tion: Pretests of the Wuppdi! prototype [2] showed that influence the interaction process [3], leading to a varie- an experimentation room that displays too many cables ty of proElems related to the usability and accessibility and computers as parts of non-invasive research tools of such games. In this context, an important step to- (cameras, microphones, etc.) can scare and confuse wards the development of senior-friendly games is the elderly participants to the point that they withdraw establishment of a user-centered design process, which from an experiment. Negative feelings related to per- introduces evaluations at an early point of the devel- sonal performance: Failure in games is often attributed opment process. However, applying established meth- to personal failure rather than poor game design [4]. ods in games user research [6] can be difficult due to 0any participants are concerned that their performance is tested instead of the Tuality of the game. Social fac- Figure 2. A virtual garden specifi- the impact of age-related changes and special needs of cally designed for institutionalized the target audience. tors severely influence the research of exergames for older adults using Microsoft Kinect older adults as many elderly try to be polite when ex- as input device. Gestures were ,n this paper, we summarize results of our own case perimenters are present. To this end, experimenter designed in collaboration with a studies to identify core challenges of evaluating exer- physical therapist. Additionally, the effects should Ee considered carefully as a potential game features a caliEration routine games with older adults, and we address the develop- Eias, especially when conducting interviews or focus which adapts interaction paradigms ment of evaluation methods that allow researchers and groups that include direct questioning of participants. to the range of motion of individual practitioners to meet the needs of older adults. There- players. Overstraining participants: Player performance and by, we hope to foster the creation of accessible exer- their ability of answering extensive questionnaires vary games and games for physical therapy for senior citi- on a daily basis [3]. During the evaluation of Wuppdi! zens. [2], therapists and caregivers pointed out that individu- al physical fitness and cognitive awareness among older eo-stream recordings, but also in the resulting approx- * Questionnaires are crucial tools for the evaluation of games. When adults may vary strongly from one day to the next and imated skeletal postures and movements. As a result, working with older adults, standard also over the course of a day. The duration of play ses- game prototypes we used had to Ee adjusted to be Tuestionnaires from games user sions and the length of asynchronous Tualitative in- much more tolerant towards imprecise input. This can research are often difficult to ap- struments have to be adjusted accordingly. Ee challenging in combination with the differences in ply, because they do not fully match the application context and Challenges Specific to Exergames range of motion among elderly and tracNing difficulties may overstrain participants. At- resulting from additional special needs, for example tempts at simplifying the answer- Evaluating exergames with older adults is particularly when participants are in wheelchairs [3]. ing process lead to contradictory challenging. In this section, we list different problems results: that we oEserved during our evaluation sessions. Another important aspect of physical therapy game During the evaluation of Silver- First of all, encouraging physical activity among elderly design is the involvement of therapists, family mem- Promenade, Gerling et al. [4] in- Eers and nursing staff, who have additional interests, troduced smiley scales to facilitate users may increase certain health risks for frail partici- the answering process. pants. Cognitive load is increased when participants such as being able to support a player with playing the However, attempts in the Wuppdi! have to coordinate movements, interact with games game and tracNing their performance (cf. [1]). While project to represent Likert scales and try to reflect on their experience. Such multi tasks most therapists were interested in our research proto- through smiley scales did not im- types and the approach of games for physical therapy, prove the understanding of the are particularly challenging for older adults but also many were cautious to point out that they would not Tuestions. Instead, reading ques- Eeneficial in physical therapy [5]. Additionally, partici- tions as a structured interview pants were extremely focused on in-game events while want the games to get in the way of their work, or to improved participants‘ aEilities of ”replace‘ therapeutic intervention time. Still, these third responding adeTuately. playing the :uppdi! prototypes, and sometimes came close to stumbling in the real world. For older adults, party groups can be valuable to the game design pro- this may be a serious health hazard as falls can easily cess, assume roles in the game mechanics (cf. [7]) and lead to bone fractures. Furthermore, we observed in data analysis, since they are practically involved with tendencies in older adults to overexert while engaging the patients and often provide important insights into with exergames to complete all tasks within an evalua- individual participants‘ capaEilities and needs. The in- tion [4]. Since they only informed the experimenter clusion of methods allowing researchers to harness the about their exhaustion after the gaming session, it was potential benefits brought in by third parties could not possiEle to aEort it. The application of multiple tests prove highly valuable. to measure physical stress and exertion requires ex- Discussion tended ethics approval and the involvement
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Video Games: Changing the Way We Think of Home Entertainment
    Rochester Institute of Technology RIT Scholar Works Theses 2005 Video games: Changing the way we think of home entertainment Eri Shulga Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.rit.edu/theses Recommended Citation Shulga, Eri, "Video games: Changing the way we think of home entertainment" (2005). Thesis. Rochester Institute of Technology. Accessed from This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by RIT Scholar Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of RIT Scholar Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Video Games: Changing The Way We Think Of Home Entertainment by Eri Shulga Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Information Technology Rochester Institute of Technology B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences Copyright 2005 Rochester Institute of Technology B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences Master of Science in Information Technology Thesis Approval Form Student Name: _ __;E=.;r....;...i S=-h;....;..;u;;;..;..lg;;i..;:a;;...__ _____ Thesis Title: Video Games: Changing the Way We Think of Home Entertainment Thesis Committee Name Signature Date Evelyn Rozanski, Ph.D Evelyn Rozanski /o-/d-os- Chair Prof. Andy Phelps Andrew Phelps Committee Member Anne Haake, Ph.D Anne R. Haake Committee Member Thesis Reproduction Permission Form Rochester Institute of Technology B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences Master of Science in Information Technology Video Games: Changing the Way We Think Of Home Entertainment L Eri Shulga. hereby grant permission to the Wallace Library of the Rochester Institute of Technofogy to reproduce my thesis in whole or in part.
    [Show full text]
  • Abstract the Goal of This Project Is Primarily to Establish a Collection of Video Games Developed by Companies Based Here In
    Abstract The goal of this project is primarily to establish a collection of video games developed by companies based here in Massachusetts. In preparation for a proposal to the companies, information was collected from each company concerning how, when, where, and why they were founded. A proposal was then written and submitted to each company requesting copies of their games. With this special collection, both students and staff will be able to use them as tools for the IMGD program. 1 Introduction WPI has established relationships with Massachusetts game companies since the Interactive Media and Game Development (IMGD) program’s beginning in 2005. With the growing popularity of game development, and the ever increasing numbers of companies, it is difficult to establish and maintain solid relationships for each and every company. As part of this project, new relationships will be founded with a number of greater-Boston area companies in order to establish a repository of local video games. This project will not only bolster any previous relationships with companies, but establish new ones as well. With these donated materials, a special collection will be established at the WPI Library, and will include a number of retail video games. This collection should inspire more people to be interested in the IMGD program here at WPI. Knowing that there are many opportunities locally for graduates is an important part of deciding one’s major. I knew I wanted to do something with the library for this IQP, but I was not sure exactly what I wanted when I first went to establish a project.
    [Show full text]
  • Inside the Video Game Industry
    Inside the Video Game Industry GameDevelopersTalkAbout theBusinessofPlay Judd Ethan Ruggill, Ken S. McAllister, Randy Nichols, and Ryan Kaufman Downloaded by [Pennsylvania State University] at 11:09 14 September 2017 First published by Routledge Th ird Avenue, New York, NY and by Routledge Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business © Taylor & Francis Th e right of Judd Ethan Ruggill, Ken S. McAllister, Randy Nichols, and Ryan Kaufman to be identifi ed as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections and of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act . All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Names: Ruggill, Judd Ethan, editor. | McAllister, Ken S., – editor. | Nichols, Randall K., editor. | Kaufman, Ryan, editor. Title: Inside the video game industry : game developers talk about the business of play / edited by Judd Ethan Ruggill, Ken S. McAllister, Randy Nichols, and Ryan Kaufman. Description: New York : Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa Business, [] | Includes index. Identifi ers: LCCN | ISBN (hardback) | ISBN (pbk.) | ISBN (ebk) Subjects: LCSH: Video games industry.
    [Show full text]
  • Creating an Interdisciplinary Game Development Minor
    Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Academic Leadership Academy Office ofaculty F Development Spring 4-16-2009 Creating an Interdisciplinary Game Development Minor Karlis Kaugars State University of New York Oneonta, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/acad_leadership Part of the Higher Education Administration Commons WMU ScholarWorks Citation Kaugars, Karlis, "Creating an Interdisciplinary Game Development Minor" (2009). Academic Leadership Academy. 23. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/acad_leadership/23 This Poster is brought to you for free and open access by the Office ofaculty F Development at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Academic Leadership Academy by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Creating an Interdisciplinary Game Development Minor Karlis Kaugars Background Contributing Disciplines Current Courses A minor in game Development Though seen by some as a simple diversion, games are a There are currently two game-specific courses offered at A minor in game development would consist of six to eight Business critical form of play for current and future generations. WMU – “CS 5410, Game Programming” and “HNRS 2900 – introductory courses, each from a different department Public Relations Game Producer emphasizing core concepts of the discipline with a focus on how Where previous generations played tag and war, current Management 155, Video Game Design”. The former course focuses on the discipline topics relate to game design. youth engage in Bejeweled and Guitar Hero. The Marketing game engine programming and is targeted towards the senior experience is meaningful, engaging and often highly social level computer science student as a integrative, capstone Each participating department could use an existing course to in nature.
    [Show full text]
  • Extracurricular Videogame Development Clubs How They Complement the Classroom Experience
    Extracurricular Videogame Development Clubs How They Complement the Classroom Experience Chris DeLeon Developer & Instructor, HobbyGameDev.com What I’m Talking About ● How clubs differ from the classroom ● Regarding faculty involvement ● Practical tips to grow more gamedev clubs ● Notes from other student-led clubs Clubs established by my process ● Carnegie Mellon, Game Creation Society (2004) ● Georgia Tech, VGDev (2010) Both groups: ~30-50 developers/semester Each completing 5-8 games/semester since Both clubs are mostly undergraduates Very few members from ETC or DM program The process -> over 100 games Addl. reference clubs (interviews) 1. Ithaca College: Game Developers Club 2. Southern Alabama: Video Game Development Club 3. Bloomfield: Game Dev Club 4. Georgia State: Game Development Club 5. Champlain: Extracurricular Game Developers 6. Princeton: Game Developers Group 7. Tennessee State: Game Programming Club 8. SCAD: Game Development Network 9. Carnegie Mellon: Game Creation Society (2009-2013) We all want the same things ● We want students happy ● We want students creating ● We want students learning ● We want students networking ● We want students on a good track But we do it very different ways Classes (generally, not all!): Clubs (esp. CMU/GT): • Often artistic, conceptual • Mostly conventional genres • Focus on process • Focus on finished result • Failing is literally failing • Safety and freedom to fail • Compel full participation • Variable involvement (‘varsity’) • People need the hours • People can quit, be fired • Teaching
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Game Playing Preferences
    CLEI ELECTRONIC JOURNAL, VOLUME 17, NUMBER 3, PAPER 9, DECEMBER 2014 Understanding Game Playing Preferences Cecilia M. Curlango Rosas, Jorge Eduardo Ibarra Esquer, Gloria Etelbina Chávez Valenzuela, María Luisa González Ramírez, Linda Eugenia Arredondo Acosta and Marcela D. Rodríguez Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Facultad de Ingeniería Mexicali, Mexico 21280 {curlango, jorge.ibarra}@uabc.edu.mx {gloria_chavez, maria.gonzalez, linda_arredondo, marcerod}@uabc.edu.mx Abstract This paper presents the results of a study made with university students to determine the types of video games that they play, the platforms they use to play, and what motivates them to play or stop playing games. The study results distinguish among genders in order to be able to design appropriate teaching strategies which appeal to both genders. This work was done as part of a larger study whose aim is to both attract and retain students to the computer-engineering program. Keywords: computer science education, engineering students, video game preferences 1 Introduction In 2010, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released a report where global challenges and opportunities for engineering were presented. The report stresses the importance of the various engineering fields in development of society, but also warns about the decreasing public awareness and understanding of engineering, and the declining interest and enrollment of young people in engineering courses [1]. This is a trend that during the first decade of the 21st Century was seen as something critical for the Computing Engineering field [2], being until recent years that some countries have started to show a slight reversal in enrollment [3].
    [Show full text]
  • The Video Game Asset Pipeline a Pattern Approach to Visualization
    The Video Game Asset Pipeline A Pattern Approach to Visualization James Lear Student ID: 91002002 [email protected] The University of the West of England Faculty of Environment and Technology This thesis is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy March 2021 Director of Studies Supervisor Professor Richard McClatchey Dr Simon Scarle [email protected] [email protected] a Abstract Video games consist of virtual worlds modelled as an approximation of either a real or imaginary environment. The amount of content required to populate the environments for Triple-A (AAA) video games doubles every few years to satisfy the expectations of the end-users. For this reason, the art and design discipline now constitute the maJority of those employed in a video game studio. The artists use Digital Content Creation (DCC) tools to design and create their content; tools not originally designed for video game asset creation. Ultimately the artists require to preview their content in the form of source assets in the runtime environment, the game engine, to ensure they provide an accurate rendering of their original vision. However, there exists a barrier to achieve this workflow; the original source assets are persisted in a proprietary format, information rich to handle future edits, and the final runtime environment requires the assets to be lightweight ready for fast and efficient loading into the game engine. The video game industry has solved this problem by introducing a fast and efficient workflow known as the asset pipeline. The asset pipeline is recognized within video games technology as a general reusable solution to the common problem of converting source assets into their final runtime form as expected by the runtime game engine.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 2 QUEER INDIE GAME-MAKING: an INTERVIEW with MO COHEN Bonnie Ruberg
    CHAPTER 2 QUEER INDIE GAME-MAKING: AN INTERVIEW WITH MO COHEN Bonnie Ruberg A decade ago, when independent video game development frst gained prominence in the games industry and games culture, the discussions that surrounded indie games ofen focused on a select few “auteurs,” primarily cisgender, heterosexual, white men. However, as game development tools and distribution platforms have shifed, and as the cultural landscape of video games itself has begun to change, indie game-making has become the terrain of many more creative voices. As Anna Anthropy rightly predicted in her 2012 book Rise of the Video Game Zinesters, a new generation of indies is bringing diverse perspectives to the medium of video games by creating games inspired by experiences of identity, marginalization, and diference. At the same time, these “zinesters” are challenging and fundamentally changing how video games are conceptualized, produced, and experienced. Leading this sea change are queer indie game-makers. Starting in roughly 2012, video games have been shifing in part because of the rise of the “queer games avant-garde,” a movement (loosely termed) of independent developers whose games are shaped by queer experiences or who themselves identify as queer—or, most ofen, both (Ruberg, 2019). Some of these indies, such as Anthropy, Mattie Brice, Christine Love, merritt kopas, Porpentine, and Robert Yang, are well known among players interested in “diverse” video games. However, there are dozens of indie game-makers who have contributed to the queer games avant-garde, and new artists are embarking on this work regularly. Te independent game distribution platform itch.io alone lists nearly a thousand games under its LGBT tag.
    [Show full text]
  • What Does a Video Game Producer Actually Do?.Pdf
    01gameproducernew.qxd 2/8/05 11:49 AM Page 1 chapter 1 What Does a Video Game Producer Actually Do? s you’ve purchased this book, you’re probably eager to get straight to the point. I’ll get straight to detailing just what a game producer actually does, because for many Apeople (both inside and outside the video game industry), it is a mystery. So just what does a video game producer actually do? As outlined by Dave Perry during his keynote speech at the 2004 Game Developer’s Conference, a video game producer is the person ■ Whose primary focus is on the delivery of the video game as a completed project. ■ Who knows every person on the team by his or her first name. ■ Who works late with the team and is available to provide guidance whenever nec- essary, any time, day or night. ■ Who clearly communicates with anyone who can affect the game, positively or negatively, as it is the game producer’s responsibility to bring everyone into the fold of game production. ■ Who runs interference with anyone who can affect the game or otherwise sidetrack the product. ■ Who does everything possible to sell, promote, and protect the game and the team. ■ Who has the complete confidence that he or she can cross any obstacle and face any challenge. ■ Who does whatever it takes to help the team deliver the game. 1 01gameproducernew.qxd 2/8/05 11:49 AM Page 2 2 Chapter 1 ■ What Does a Video Game Producer Actually Do? A Brief History of Producing In traditional media and the entertainment business, a producer is one who assembles the cast of a play, brings an artist or talent to a studio, or organizes a publicly broadcasted event.
    [Show full text]
  • Reappraisal of Video Game Addiction for the Digital Future
    Loading… The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association Vol 12(19): 1-17 http://loading.gamestudies.ca Reappraisal of Video Game Addiction for the Digital Future Jiow Hee Jhee Singapore Institute of Technology [email protected] Lye Qin Ting Singapore Institute of Technology [email protected] Kenneth Woo Singapore Institute of Technology [email protected] Abstract The rapid expansion of video gaming in an internet-using society has brought forth a renewed focus on the phenomenon of video game addiction. Despite this, there remains a crucial absence of consensus over the diagnostic criteria of video game addiction. Currently, both psychological and behavioral interventions take screen time as an indicator of video game addiction, however, these interventions are challenged by substantial literature that increasingly disputes time as a predictor of addiction. To build onto the work that has been done, this paper argues that time is an inadequate criterion in which to ascertain video game addiction, proposing that a physiological-based criteria be used in conjunction with contextualized understandings of video game dynamics to approach video game addiction. This realignment is all the more pressing as video games begin a transition from a leisure activity to its current orientation as a viable career option. Author Keywords Addiction; Video Games; Screen Time Introduction The phenomenon of video game addiction is one that plagues a segment of internet-using society. Through barometers assessing psychological inclinations, social life exposure, gaming habits and an assortment of other factors, many have been deemed to be suffering from this condition (Király, Nagygyörgy, Griffiths, & Demetrovics, 2014; Shaffer et al., 2004).
    [Show full text]
  • Heuristic Evaluation in Game and Gamification Development
    Heuristic evaluation in game and gamification development Mikko Rajanen Interact Research Unit, University of Oulu, Finland [email protected] Dorina Rajanen Interact Research Unit, University of Oulu, Finland [email protected] Abstract: Game development business has become very competitive, therefore it is very important to develop games that stand out from the vast amount of other competing game titles. Usability of the game is crucial to ensure game acceptance, which in turn will contribute to more sales and profit for the game company. Game usability can also contribute to better player engagement and better accomplishment of individual and organizational objectives in the case of gamification. One successful method to ensure good usability is heuristic evaluation, which has been proven useful also in game development. However, the existing heuristics are criticized for being too general to suit specific games. This study investigates the views and practices of the game companies regarding game usability heuristics and the extent to which they utilize heuristic evaluation as a game usability method. A series of surveys was conducted in the North American and North European companies and the results show that all game professionals view usability as being very important in games, however the extent of utilization of heuristic evaluation in game development is overrated. Implications for the development practice and research in games and gamification are discussed. 1. Introduction Game development business has become very competitive (McDonald, 2017; Filho et al., 2014), therefore it is very important to develop games that stand out from the vast amount of other competing game titles (Pagulayan et al., 2003).
    [Show full text]
  • Augmented Reality Video Games: New Possibilities and Implications for Children and Adolescents
    Multimodal Technologies and Interaction Review Augmented Reality Video Games: New Possibilities and Implications for Children and Adolescents Prithwijit Das, Meng’ou Zhu, Laura McLaughlin, Zaid Bilgrami and Ruth L. Milanaik * Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, Northwell Health System, Lake Success, NY 10042, USA; [email protected] (P.D.); [email protected] (M.Z.); [email protected] (L.M.); [email protected] (Z.B.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-516-802-6100 Academic Editors: Carolina Cruz-Neira, Marcos Fernández Marín and Cristina Portalés Ricart Received: 17 February 2017; Accepted: 19 April 2017; Published: 22 April 2017 Abstract: In recent years, the video game market has embraced augmented reality video games, a class of video games that is set to grow as gaming technologies develop. Given the widespread use of video games among children and adolescents, the health implications of augmented reality technology must be closely examined. Augmented reality technology shows a potential for the promotion of healthy behaviors and social interaction among children. However, the full immersion and physical movement required in augmented reality video games may also put users at risk for physical and mental harm. Our review article and commentary emphasizes both the benefits and dangers of augmented reality video games for children and adolescents. Keywords: augmented reality; video games; children; adolescents; health; education 1. Introduction The twenty-first century has experienced a digital revolution marked by rapid growth of information and communication technologies. Today’s children are growing up in an increasingly interdependent and globalized society, with unprecedented access to information, people, and ideas.
    [Show full text]