A Model Proposal for Augmented Reality Game Creation to

Incentivize Physical Activity

José Antonio Cicció and Luis Quesada

Escuela de Ciencias de la Computación e Informática, Universidad de Costa Rica, Montes de Oca,

San José, 11501-2060, Costa Rica

Keywords: Gamification, Augmented Reality, Health, Fitness, Game Design, Mobile Applications.

Abstract: Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are relevant issues in today’s society. Even though different resources can

be used to approach this problem, technology provides endless possibilities to fight against this problem. This

article presents the results of a model to create augmented reality games where goals are achieved by doing

physical activity (moving between different places). In order to evaluate the model, a prototype was built and

presented to 50 participants. The results obtained indicated that an important percentage of the interviewees

were attracted to the idea of playing a game to increase their physical activity.

1 INTRODUCTION

Nowadays more people are concerned about their

physical fitness. In fact, activity trackers and some

games to stand up and to move in a place are

commonly used to keep people motivated; however,

not all users feel the same about these long term

commitment resources (Buchem, Merceron, Kreutel,

Haesner, and Steinert, 2015).

Users, due to their human nature, tend to be

motivated by challenges that come in a competitive,

cooperative or solo form (Spillers and

Asimakopoulos, 2014). For those that may require

extra motivation, gamification is a possible way to

incentivize them to do more exercise.

Related to the topic of using technology to keep

people moving, the term of Augmented Reality (AR)

is extremely useful. AR can be defined as "a

technology that superimposes a computer-generated

image on a user’s view of the real world, thus

providing a composite view" (Oxford Dictionary of

English, 2010). This technique is becoming more and

more popular among the users of new technologies

like Google VR (Kipper and Rampolla, 2013).

The previous elements help developers to create

appealing health video games that engage users while

motivating them to do more exercise in a daily basis

(González et al., 2016).

This fact led us to create a game model to

encourage people to do exercise not only to be more

active but also to continue with the physical work as

time passes by.

By using AR, a GPS device, an accelerometer, a

gyroscope and other elements, we propose a model

where we identify the most important parts that a

game should have in order to create a health-based

video game. The latter will require users to move to

specific points in a map by walking, running or

climbing floors to get rewards and to advance in the

video game story.

In sum, the main goal of this article is to create a

model for the development of a generic video game

that incentivizes users to be more active and to have

a healthier lifestyle.

The following sections in this article include the

related work in the area of game-based research, the

purpose and the explanation of a generic model for

AR health-based games, and the data related to the

implementation of the model by creating a Role

Playing Game (RPG), which may urge people to go

to different places in order to level up and to get better

gear to unlock game missions. Later, an evaluation of

the proposed model will be conducted before

discussing the final results.

2 RELATED WORK

Organizations, healthcare providers, and public

initiatives promote healthy lifestyles through

252

CicciÃ¸s J. and Quesada L.

A Model Proposal for Augmented Reality Game Creation to Incentivize Physical Activity.

DOI: 10.5220/0006112102520259

In Proceedings of the 10th International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies (BIOSTEC 2017), pages 252-259

ISBN: 978-989-758-213-4

information technology. Alahäivälä and

OinasKukkonen (2016) presented a systematic

literature review that focused on “health

gamification.” The study discussed 32 studies

conducted between 2011 and 2015. Nine of them

were categorized as “increasing physical activity.”

Some of the studies in their literature review are

described below.

Recent technological devices inspire new

applications. By using Microsoft Kinect, Brauner et

al. (2013) proposed a game to promote physical

fitness that focuses on elderly people. An avatar is

presented within a garden. The player, through the

virtual avatar, can pick up carrots from the soil or

fruits and vegetables from trees and the soil. An

experiment was conducted with 70 users. Most of the

participants (72%) stated that this game increased

their motivation to exercise on a regular basis

(Brauner et al., 2013).

Nintendo Wii Fit activity games were also

evaluated. A group of beginners and non-beginners

played with Wii Fit games in different settings. The

former was positive about the games when combining

fitness and fun. However, the latter was unsatisfied

with the Wii Fit as a fitness tool (Reynolds, Sosik, and

Cosley, 2013).

HealthyTogether is an Android application that

uses an activity tracker (FitBit) that was developed in

2014. By following simple rules, the user can win

badges and points (karma points).

The game is a step and floor counter. The

application includes three settings: competition

mode, collaborative mode, and hybrid mode.

HealthyTogether was evaluated with 18 dyads. The

study found significant step and floor increase in both

cooperation and hybrid mode (up to 21.1% and

18.2%, respectively) but not in the completion mode

(Y. Chen and Pu, 2014). Another study was carried

out that considered solo mode in similar conditions.

The researchers found an increase in the amount of

exercise that was associated with gamification.

Furthermore, they concluded that gamification affects

software design (Giannakis, Chorianopoulos, and

Jaccheri, 2013).

Spillers and Asimakopoulos (2014) discussed

how extended gamification and social elements in the

mobile and the fitness context can improve people’s

motivation. Indeed, a positive short term behavioural

change was observed in their research project.

Zuckerman and Gal-Oz (2014) evaluated the

effectiveness of virtual rewards. They argued that

according to the self-determination theory (SDT) of

human motivation, three innate psychological needs

determine motivation: (1) competence, (2) autonomy,

and (3) relatedness. Results showed that daily

walking or running time while interacting with an

application was significantly higher than walking

time without any application interaction.

Figure 1: Video Game Model.

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253

3 MODEL DESCRIPTION

This section describes the elements that all AR games

that involve moving from one place to another should

include. These elements are the result of years of

developing different video games of diverse genres.

Aside from the expertise acquired through the years,

some of the key components explained in this article

can be found in the most popular games available in

the market (Novak, 2012).

The games that use this model should comply

with the following requirements: a mobile device that

has an active internet connection, a GPS, and a

camera.

Figure 1 shows the proposed model with its

components. These components include game design,

statistics, user information, anti-cheat control,

augmented reality, notifications, data collector, and

social interaction. The following sections describe the

previous concepts.

3.1 Game Design

Game design is an essential component that includes

rules, gameplay, and storyline. All of them combined

facilitate the interaction between players in case the

game has health purposes (Novak, 2012).

3.1.1 Game Mechanics

There are several game mechanics that can be

incorporated in order to incentivize people to do

exercise. We consider that there are four main game

mechanics—steps, walking, running, and floor

climbing— that can be used in order let the player

interact with the game. By using and mixing these

four mechanics, different types of exercises can be

covered (from casual training to more complex

exercise routines).

Some actions can be followed in order to

promote physical activity in the players (González et

al., 2016). For instance, if it is assumed that users do

not exercise regularly, they can start using the stairs

instead of elevators to get to their destiny. Moreover,

they can start walking short distances every day.

The game should be able to distinguish between

walking and running. This can be achieved by using

a combination of the GPS and the accelerometer of

the mobile device. By using the correct type of

movement and velocity, the game can provide users

with different options in terms of the quests to be

accomplished and the type of loot to be earned.

3.1.2 Goals

The game should have different goals that can be

achieved as a result of the interaction between the

user and the application (Novak, 2012). The game

must have a list of customized daily goals for the

player. The goals will be based on (1) how many steps

have been made, (2) the distance, either by walking

or running, that has been traveled, and (3) how many

stairs or floors have been climbed.

The game should have an algorithm capable of

creating customized goals based on the users’

performance. The idea is to ask players for an extra

effort every day they use the game. This idea can be

achieved by presenting different places to visit in a

single day or by including a far place to go.

When the goals depend on the users, the game

provides a personalized experience and will get the

highest possible retention ratio. If the user is falling

behind, aspects such as distance and time should be

easier for them to complete.

The game should spawn points on the map. Those

points will represent the places the player should visit

in order to make some kind of progress in the game.

In addition to spawning points all over the map, the

user can be encouraged to get to a specific place,

within a time limit, by walking or running. Some

goals can be based on the number of times a specific

place is visited within a timeframe. Similarly, the

player can achieve a goal by traveling the double or

thrice of the standard goal.

3.1.3 Story

An essential part in today’s games is their story. The

story is the way people can get identified with the

game and have an urge to keep playing. All games

have a story which can be as simple or complex as the

creators want (Dille and Zuur Platen, 2008). The idea

is to have an easy-to-pick-up story to attract more

people into the game. This should be aligned with the

goals described in Section 3.1.2. In other words, the

users have to be motivated during the game in order

to keep moving through the different levels.

Another important aspect is to have a story that

has a replay value. The story cannot be linear with a

beginning and end because the main goal is to keep

people interested in exercising from a mid to a long

term. In order to do this, the story can have

multiplayer elements that give an additional replay

value to the players.

The two techniques that can be used with the

players are to have them compete by themselves or to

have them cooperate among each other to get a

common goal (Novak, 2012). Aside from the

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retention ratio, these techniques can help to attract

more users into the game in less time because its

existence can be easily spread (González et al., 2016).

3.1.4 Rewards

When a goal is achieved, the user should be rewarded

by the effort made while playing the game. The

reward can be a permanent upgrade—like gaining

experience for the character, getting perk, or

unlocking new weapons—or a temporary upgrade—

like being healthier and causing more damage for a

specific amount of time.

The rewards are an essential part of any game

because users feel engaged with the story and may

want to do more exercise to get more rewards (Novak,

2012). Additionally, they can have a positive impact

on the replay value by making it easier for people to

feel attracted to the content that the game offers.

3.1.5 User Progression

In order to have the highest percentage of retention

ratio, the game should make the players feel that they

are making progress. This can be done by unlocking

the game content as the user goes through challenges

or achieves a goal.

User progression creates the illusion that players

are constantly completing different actions and that

there is a constant purpose and motivation to finish

the game (F. X. Chen, King, and Hekler, 2014). The

story elements and the user progression can give a

higher replay value to the game because the idea is

for users to come and play again.

The game should be able to create new goals and

objectives based on the characteristics of each user.

By learning about the players’ habits, the game can

provide a personalized experience. For instance, the

game can create goals or missions that require more

effort when the user is more interested in the game.

3.2 Statistics

Every game that is intended to motivate people to be

healthier by doing more exercise should collect and

present statistical data (Brauner, Calero Valdez,

Schroeder, and Ziefle, 2013). With this information,

players can learn more about their performance in a

specific timeframe.

The collected data can be presented in charts and

in a granular way. The data can include what the user

did in a particular day with an hourly breakout or with

their performance within a month, a quarter, a

semester, or any other long-term timeframe.

Developers should compare users’ performance

between different timeframes by using friendly-via

graphics, which include the time users prefer to do

exercise and the average workout time.

3.3 User Information

Health-related applications should create a

customized experience for their users by gathering

information about their physical activity performance

(Alahäivälä and Oinas-Kukkonen, 2016). The game

should ask the players for basic data that includes—

but not limited to—age, sex, height, weight and how

often he or she does exercise or intends to do it.

The weight data gathered from the user should be

updated on a monthly basis in order to enable

developers to create more accurate health plans for

the players. Moreover, the progress made by the users

can be tracked while they use the application.

The user information module should keep the raw

data of how a player has been performing while using

the app. Also, this module should be able to create an

estimate of the calories the player has burned within

a specific timeframe. Furthermore, if the users have a

weight or distance target, this module can feed the

game goals to help them achieve the health goal.

3.4 Augmented Reality

AR is intended to give users the bridge between

reality and the game they are playing (Kipper and

Rampolla, 2013). The idea is to collect objects in a

real world location and to use them within the

boundaries of the virtual game.

There are several ways AR can be incorporated

into the game. For instance, when a player gets to a

target destination, he or she will have the option to

search a zone and find an object. Once the object is

found by using the device camera, the users will get a

reward in the game. By combining these features, the

limits are only set by the developers’ imagination.

3.5 Anti Cheat Control

All games need a mechanism that prevents players

from cheating. This particular software piece should

detect if the player is trying to achieve the goals by

skipping the required exercises.

The game should have an algorithm mix that uses

devices such as the GPS, the gyroscope, and the

accelerometer to measure how fast the player is

traveling. In fact, these mechanisms can detect if the

movements made by the users are possible for human

beings.

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In this sense, the module should cap the maximum

possible velocity of the players to detect if they are

traveling by car instead of walking or running. By

using the previous devices, the system detects more

accurately if the user is doing exercise or not.

3.6 Notifications

Notifications remind users to stay active (Brauner et

al., 2013). For instance, notifications let players know

when they have to move either because they have

been inactive for a long time or because they have to

look for bounties or upgrades. Socially speaking,

notifications can tell users when friends are asking for

help, when they want to compete, or when a

cooperative mission is needed.

Notifications should be customized in order to

give users the option to enable or disable data. The

players should decide what kind of information they

want to receive after completing the tasks included in

the notifications in order to avoid any unpleasant

experiences. By providing this possibility, users will

not feel overwhelmed or annoyed if they receive

notifications of activities that they do not want to see.

3.7 Data Collector (Device)

One of the most relevant aspects to consider when

creating a health-based video game is the device

players need to use. The device has to be to capable

of tracking the movement of the users, their velocity

and the places they visit.

In order to fulfill the previous requirements, the

device should include at least a GPS to have the

geolocation of the user and to create target points

where they should go within a distance range. In

addition, an accelerometer and a gyroscope are

required to avoid relying only on a GPS connection

and to help reduce the possibility of cheating in the

game.

Finally, the augmented reality functionality can

be used if the data collector has a camera and an API

that developers can access and use.

3.8 Social Interaction

Social networks aim at giving more visibility to

applications or games to help them go viral; hence, a

social module—planned in two directions— has to be

included as part of the game.

The first part is an outflow where users can post

achievements, rewards, perks, and missions in

different social networks. In addition, players can

share with other players their real life progress,

Figure 2: Objectives of the Application Mockup.

traveled distances, and time spent in a workout. The

second part is an inflow where the users can ask for

help in order to complete cooperative and competitive

missions.

4 IMPLEMENTATION

The model of the game that we implemented was

based on the model described in Section 3. The model

can be used in different game genres such as action,

simulation, and role plays.

Because a role-playing game (RPG) was set, a

story of a brave warrior trying to reclaim his family

honor and lands was developed. These lands were

stolen by the evil wizard Magrathea. To reclaim them,

the warrior needs to go through different dungeons.

When going into the dungeons, the warrior has to

meet some requirements like having a specific level

and having a special gear in order to access different

places in the game. In these situations, the user is

required to do some kind of physical activity.

The game, with the help of AR, will spawn points

of interest for the player to get different rewards—an

armor, weapons or magical powers. The game also

rewards persistency because if the players exercise

every day, their virtual character becomes more

powerful; otherwise, the virtual character becomes

weaker and loses his or her lands.

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The game includes competitive and cooperative

elements. The players can conquer unclaimed lands

and defend their lands from being conquered by other

friends. The players can get better gear or upgrades

for their gear by completing missions that may

require some kind of help from friends.

We presented six mockups to illustrate the design

of the game. Figures 2, 3, and 4 include three of them.

Figure 2 shows the objectives screen. This screen

includes the position of the players in the map and the

nearest targets. Targets must have different levels of

difficulty and should be selected prior working with

near landmarks and sights (i.e. historic sites,

fountains, monuments, statues, among others).

Figure 3 works with the augmented reality

component. Once the player achieves the goal, a

similar screen will be displayed. Figure 4 shows some

sample statistics. The remaining mockups (not

included in Figures 2, 3, and 4) are events related to

the game.

5 EVALUATION

Fifty participants, aged from 18 to 42, were

interviewed for this project. Sixteen of them were

women, and 34 were men. Basic information—age,

physical condition, and mobile telephone habits—

was gathered. All the participants owned a

smartphone and, after the required explanation, were

familiarized with the key attributes of the game.

Figure 3: Rewards of the Application Mockup.

Figure 4: Statistics of the Application Mockup.

The game mechanics were also explained to each

participant by using the mockups (see Figures 2 and

3). Then, the participants provided basic data that

included the frequency in which they exercise, their

mobile game interests, and the mobile fitness apps

they use.

In terms of` how often they do physical activity,

52% (26 participants) do not exercise regularly.

Approximately 85% (22 of 26 participants) reported

some kind of interest in the game. Participants who

exercise regularly (i.e. walk or run at least twice a

week) were interested in the game. Figure 5 displays

that 86% of the participants support the game as an

instrument to promote physical activity by using AR

components while eight participants indicated that

they do not use mobile telephones to play.

When asked if they would play the game while

exercising, seven participants (14%) provided a

negative answer. The main reasons they provided to

support their decision include one of the following:

(1) “I prefer to practice different types of exercises

(i.e. swimming, going to the gym, and riding a

bicycle);” (2) “I feel insecure using the mobile phone

outdoors in some places;” and (3) “I exercise but

without any mobile application.”

Five participants (62.5%) indicated that they like

a game that uses AR. These participants correspond

to the ones who regularly use smartphones to play.

Only three participants answered that they were not

interested in this type of game.

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From the total number of participants interested in

the application, 100% mentioned that having access

to statistics over time to see their monthly or quarterly

progress is extremely useful. Approximately 92 %

considered that they need daily statistics, and 85% of

the participants need the application to tell them when

to do exercise.

The participants were asked if they knew what

AR is. For those who were unsure or did not know, a

video with concrete examples was used to explain the

concept to the participants. After seeing the mockups

of the game and claiming that they were interested in

it, 85% of the participants said that the AR component

was essential and attractive in the game.

Figure 5: Participants’ Interest in the Game.

6 DISCUSSION

The results revealed that people who do not exercise

are more willing to change their routine if they find a

strong reason to do so. In this project, ‘this reason’ is

called the AR game. Similarly, people who already

have an exercise routine also feel attracted to this kind

of game application.

Based on the results obtained, the massive use of

these technologies (AR and Smartphones) should be

taken into account by many developers because they

incentivize people do change their sedentary lifestyle.

By changing users’ habits, other problems such as

diabetes and hypertension can be avoided or at least

decreased. Due to the fact that being attracted to video

games is not based on age or sex, new technologies

have the possibility of reaching more people.

The findings also state that the proposed model

provides the main components that a game should

have in order to incentivize people to do exercise.

This is possible because of the mechanics proposed in

the game design section, which provide an overview

of what a game should have in order to increase the

number of engaged players. Users are attracted to a

game when it has a high-replay value, an interesting

story, and cooperative and competitive elements.

The participants also highlighted the importance

of having player statistics which help to gather data

of the users’ real life progress in short and medium

term. This part of the module is fundamental because

if data is not quantified, users cannot determine if

they are making progress in the game.

Some participants were really worried about the

idea of playing in public places due to security

problems. One possible solution is to consider places

with low crime rates to be part of the game.

When developing a AR and Fitness Game, the

lack of guidelines to design this kind of software

increases the cost of the project and the effort that is

needed to finish it. Therefore, having a model in mind

will definitely help developers to design and to build

AR games.

Finally, this model can be used in other types of

exercises. For instance, roller skating, cycling or any

other sport that involves moving from one place to

another. For future projects, more participants can be

included to test a possible prototype.

As shown in this article, new technologies can be

used to reduce some of the most common problems

related to a sedentary lifestyle.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was partially supported by the Escuela de

Ciencias de la Computación e Informática at

Universidad de Costa Rica (ECCI-UCR).

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