The Quest for the Perfect ExerGame

As 2008 draws to a close, it is time to pause, take a breath and reflect. A review of my year in ExerGaming will follow in a future post, but first I have been searching for a theme to try and draw my rich and varied experiences together. A collection of thoughts, words and ideas kept coming to the fore: mobile, immersive, miniature, wireless, networked, social, audioscape, tactile.

I had previously written a post “When Worlds Collide” and it suddenly jumped out at me when reading an article in Wired Magazine – “The New Reality”. Simply put, the virtual worlds of the web and video games have become mainstream in a variety of many interesting and exciting ways (e.g. iPhone, Wii and Guitar Hero). Virtual reality is no longer the holy grail. These tactile technology mashups between virtual and physical worlds have brought immersive experiences to the masses.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but whilst there are many and varied problems facing the world today, there is one particular problem that has not received sufficient attention. It is the fact that our planet is now loosing its SPIN at a much faster rate than was predicted and is even beginning to wobble.
Scientists reckon that problem is due to the fact that people are not walking about on foot as much as the used to do and would have in the process helped to keep up the planet’s SPIN. Motor cars are particular disruptive in this regard, not only do they stop people from creating SPIN, but their high speed, tight cornering and rapid breaking all contribute to the wobble effect.
We urgently need to get people back on their feet and start generating SPIN again. Can we SPIN the planet? Yes we can!
For further information see my entry for the forthcoming Social Innovation Camp.

Thanks very much to everybody who took the time to vote for my entry in the the recent Handheld Learning awards. On this occasion it was not to be. Maybe next time…
However, only today have I received an invitation to writer a paper on the research for a new education technology journal!

Mobile ExerGaming is the obvious next step for ExerGaming and it is something I have been actively exploring for some time now. However, now I am asking for your help to help put Mobile ExerGaming on the map.

Most of what I currently get paid to do is teach students. I am an enthusiastic embracer of educational technology. Last year I was involved in a small proof of concept project to utilize a mobile phone as a platform to deliver audio specific educational information in an accessible format.

The basic idea behind the project was to label objects with 2D barcodes (Quick Response codes) and when recognized by a camera phone, call up a media server to deliver a streaming audio file to the phone.

What has that got to do with ExerGaming? Well, think “Interactive Treasure Hunt” and you will begin to get the idea.

To cut a long story short, the project is a finalist in the 2008 Handheld Learning Awards. It is one of three in the Special Needs – Innovation category. Scroll down to the bottom of the Awards page and click on “In-Class Utility, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh“. (You can check out the other two finalists too).

The winner will be decided by SMS Txt voting. If you want to help boost the profile of Mobile ExerGaming then Vote for In-Class Utility by Txting

INCLASS   to   +447786203140

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Voting closes at midnight (GMT) on Thursday 9 October.

Thank you very much for your support….

If you want more information you can read the full paper here which was an Award Winning paper at ED-MEDIA 2008 World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications in Vienna.

Note:

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Yesterday I gave a presentation to the European Union (EU) Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health under the auspices of the Director General for Health and Consumer Protection at the EU Commission in Brussels. It was a great honour to be invited and a growing recognition of the significance of my research.

Fifteen minutes is not long to give an overview of ExerGaming/Active Video Games, summarize my Research Data and suggest Future Directions. Furthermore it was a very varied and disparit audience representing 34 member European level organisations ranging from the food industry to consumer protection groups and NGOs. In addition there were a number of observers drawn from WHO, EU Presidency, Member States, EFSA and the European Parliament.

I was not quite sure what to expect as I arrived at the meeting venue. In fact it was very much like I had seen in the media, rows of seats with microphones and headphones and booths for translators around the perimeter of the room. The support staff were friendly and helpful and I started to feel a bit more relaxed. It wasn’t long before the meeting started. The chairman started proceedings in english with no sign of any translators. The opening exchanges were fairly relaxed and I began to sit somewhat easier in my chair.

Given that my presentation was the last item before lunch, my teaser by way of introduction was well received and got a bit of a laugh! I then set about trying to convey the idea that ExerGaming offers the possibility of a new way of doing things before “reminding” the audience of the massive size of video games industry. I then gave an illustrated overview of various ExerGames before moving onto my describing the range of laboratory measures including oxygen consumption involved in my work. I then gave a brief summary of my results – all games are not equal – maximize active muscle mass in rapid fire movements.

In order to get people thinking about how ExerGaming to promote physical activity - I outlined my list of list of actual and possible “persuasive technology” features developed by applying Fogg’s principles to ExerGaming. Looking to the future, I outlined the current ExerGame sensor technologies before moving on to GPS enabled mobile phones, a Garmin heart rate and gps sports watch and the Nike+ iPod system. I then described some of the immense range of possibilities when you add Web 2.0 social networking to the mix. I had a map of Brussels from the Nokia Sports Tracker System showing routes people had uploaded including a close-up of one person’s rollerblading route around the European Quarter close the location of the meeting! I made a particular point of emphasizing the advanced nature of the European mobile phone network and suggested that Mobile ExerGaming was an area in which Europe could lead the way.

Bringing things towards a close, I suggested that there is a paradigm shift from a Persuasive Message to a Persuasive Interactive Experience. At this point I tried to provoke a bit of a response by suggesting that video game industry initiatives such as Nintendo’s Touch! Generations (e.g. DS Cooking Guide and Wii Fit) could start to set the the diet and physical activity agenda. My closing slide indicated that it is vital to Maximize the Opportunity presented by ExerGaming and create a Sustainable Future.

Phew! It was over! A few questions later and we were breaking for lunch. Despite the call for sustenance, several people spoke to me immediately, excited about the possibilities for ExerGaming. I was then taken for lunch and sampled some of the local cuisine in cafe-restaurant and continued chatting.

Proceedings commenced in the afternoon with the main business being a debate on future actions concerning Physical Activity. As I was in no rush to catch a plane, I continued several conversations after the meeting finished.

Overall, it was an amazing experience and I trust that I have managed to raise awareness of ExerGaming/Active Video Games at a European level and prompted some actions. Personally, I have a number of exciting contacts to follow up.

I have been invited to speak at the European Union Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health in Brussels, Belgium, next Wednesday. It provides a common forum for all interested “actors” (organizations) in the field at a European level. In 15 minutes I plan to give a whistle-stop overview of the past, present and future of Active Video Games / ExerGaming.

By way of introduction, I am planning a little teaser which I will share with you now. It comprises 4 scenarios and you have to select the odd one out. The first is a group of indigenous men out hunting with bows and arrows. The second is a group of women working in a field harvesting a crop by hand. The third is a couple out jogging in the street. The fourth one is a person playing a martial arts-based ExerGame. Suggestions in a Comment as to the odd one out…

Update 1:

I have had a suggestion that the ExerGamer is the odd one out as they are the only one not in a “social” setting. Good point – but that is not the answer I am looking for, so keep the suggestions coming

Update 2:

I have had another suggestion (by email) that the joggers are the odd ones out as the physical exertion is the primary focus of their activity, whereas in all the other cases it is not the primary focus. All I can say is that this is getting pretty close!!!

Update 3: - Solution

The odd one out is indeed the joggers, as in the other three cases, there is a life or death necessity to be physically active. Either to catch (hunters) or harvest (women in field) some food. In the case of the ExerGamer, if they don’t keep active, they will die in the game, but it is not quite such a problem, as you get several lives.

The point I am trying to make with this metaphor is the potential to which active video games can be a highly engaging experience.

I don’t watch that much TV, but last night I caught an episode of “New Tricks” on BBC1. Basically the show centers around a bunch of semi-retired detectives doing some good old fashioned detective work to solve “cold” cases. In order to strike up a conversation with a potential witness, one of the detectives picks up a Wiimote and joins in a shot ‘em up game. He gets right into the game and actually ends up outplaying the witness. Having earned a degree of respect, the witness is forthcoming with vital new information.

Fast forward to the end of the show when the case is solved and it is time for a small celebration. But where is the said detective? Well now he is giving his all on the arcade version of the game! So there you have it, grey gaming on mainstream TV!

The second day of the Edinburgh Interactive Festival Conference started with Eyjolfur Guomundsson giving a fascinating insight into the futuristic world of Eve. Both the graphics and the number of subscribers to the game were staggering. Out of the complex game play environment has emerged a fully functioning economy and structures of government.

Next up was a panel on MMOs which gave some useful insight into issues of hardware, software, management, user interface design and authenticity.

Magnus Nilsson then presented the platform offered by Wayfinder for mobile GPS-based games. Slowly, but surely, many of the hardware and network issues are beginning to be resolved.

The main part of the conference closed with an inspirational, whirlwind of a session, by Scott Foe on the “Reset Generation”. He basically outlined the development of mobile casual games and how you ensure that you meet the expectations of the “Reset Generation” who have grown up with computer games.

In the afternoon there was an academic symposium. Richard Bartle gave an informed reality check on both Video Game Design education and Research in the UK. I then left skipped a couple of talks to see what was new in the world of EyeToy. You can see my exploits in my post about cheerleading.

On my return to the symposium, Gianna Cassidy gave an overview of music in games and the psychology behind it. The final round table of the day focused mostly on the educational aspects of game design.

The conference opened with a presentation by Chris Deering on the opportunities in the new digital age. Two issues of particular relevance to “ExerGaming” were the upward trend in games that are sociable and the wireless connectivity (in particular 3G in Europe) for ubiquitous “anywhere” game play.

Next up was Sean Dromgoole who does market research into video games through a large European consumer panel. Interestingly, ownership of the Wii console is particularly high in the 35-44 age group, equally distributed between the sexes.

Then it was the turn of Rod Cousens to give the low down in the British Games Industry. If I understood him correctly, he was saying that real creative talent in games development is quite scare and needs to be nurtured and developed.

The lead up to lunch was a truly inspirational session by Graham Brown-Martin and Derek Robertson on “Games for Education”. I have heard Derek speak on a few occasions and he also has some new inspiring story to tell. The first was of six year old children playing Nintendogs in class amongst other things to develop arithmetic skills as they bought and sold pet care services. The children went on to achieve levels of numeracy skills far in excess of those through traditional methods. The second was transition students (primary to secondary school) using Guitar Hero as a way into managing their own rock band and doing creative writing (band biographies), geography (planning of a European Tour) and art and design (band merchandizing).

After lunch Margaret Robertson gave a run through of her 10 most important games of the last year. This was particularly insightful and was very heartening to hear a devoted gamer get excited about a “game” that helps you to exercise! It needs a whole post of its own to cover it – so watch out.

Joh Radoff then gave an interesting perspective of game play over time based on his consumer panel based in the US. Usage statistics for Grand Theft Auto IV showed a huge spike on release and then an exponential drop off. The contrasted starkly with some more social games which had a much smaller spike on release but then continued to show an increase in usage overtime. This is exciting in that it emphasizes the importance of the social aspect of games. It also provides a counter argument to the objection “What happens when the novelty of ExerGames wears off?” Clearly, there is an awful lot more to ExerGames than just a novelty factor, but we must not be complacent.

Next up was a panel on Alternate Reality Games. I had experienced a bit of this at the Hide and Seek Festival 2008. Basically it is early days and things are fairly experimental at the moment. What was clear was the need for a strong narrative on which the whole game hangs.

Kevin Williams then gave a great overview of the whole arcade industry and how a lot of new “ExerGaming” technologies and developments are coming through the arcade industry. These include new more sensitive camera-based motion detection system and immersive wrap-around visual displays. Then there are smart card systems to hold player profile information and preferences to permit movement between games and facilitate payment. Finally there is the networking of arcade games to provide a platform for tournaments.

The day finished by Kevin Higgins giving an overview of payment systems across the globe and how incredibly complex and varied they all are.

Overall, what I took from the day was that there is an awful lot more to video game development that writing code. There is however a real opportunity for “ExerGames” as the video game industry is seeking to reach new players with new types of games.

This afternoon I had a leisurely look round the opening session of the Edinburgh Interactive Festival. It was a chance to try out some of the games before the conference starts in earnest tomorrow. There were a wide variety of genres of games on display including an ExerGame. What seemed at first very out of place was a cookery demonstration, particular as the appetizing smell was one of the first things that caught your attention as you entered the hall!! On closer inspection I realized it was an interactive demonstration of Cooking Guide for the Nintendo DS, part of the “Touch ! Generations” series!

One demonstration game that caught my eye was Sprog by Fishbowl Interactive. It basically involves moving side-to-side with the odd jump on a treadmill to either avoid or collect objects. You could play it either with a joypad or a dance mat. Needless to say I opted for the latter. Not having a problem with my left and rights, it was fairly straightforward at first until it went into “mirror” mode. I had an interesting discussion with one of the developers centering around the both the possibilities and the limitations of the dance mat as a games controller. Clearly the game has a lot of potential and offers an exciting way to explore step-based ExerGaming.