Abstract
Virtual reality games are playing a greater role in rehabilitation settings. Previously, commercial games have dominated, but increasingly, bespoke games for specific rehabilitation contexts are emerging. Choice and design of tasks for VR-games are still not always clear, however; some games are designed to motivate and engage players, not necessarily with the facilitation of specific movements as a goal. Other games are designed specifically for the facilitation of specific movements. A theoretical background for the choice of tasks seems warranted. As an example, we use a game that was designed in our lab: VR Walk. Here, the player walks on a treadmill while wearing a head-mounted display showing a custom-made virtual environment. Tasks include walking on a glass bridge across a drop, obstacle avoidance, narrowing path, walking in virtual footsteps, memory, and selection tasks, and throwing and catching objects. Each task is designed according to research and theory from movement science, exercise science, and cognitive science. In this article, we discuss how for example walking across a glass bridge gives perceptual challenges that may be suitable for certain medical conditions, such as hearing loss, when perceptual abilities are strained to compensate for the hearing loss. In another example, walking in virtual footsteps may be seen as a motor and biomechanical constraint, where the double support phase and base of support can be manipulated, making the task beneficial for falls prevention. In a third example, memory and selection tasks may challenge individuals that have cognitive impairments. We posit that these theoretical considerations may be helpful for the choice of tasks and for the design of virtual reality games.
Highlights
Exergaming can broadly be defined as ‘‘A game that involves physical exercise and that integrates motion-tracking technology that enables interaction with the game and real-time feedback of user’s performance’’ (Perez-Marcos, 2018)
There is great potential in designing games and tasks that are directed towards specific impairments, both physical or cognitive
The game is set in an environment that resembles a Mediterranean area (Figure 1), and the main objective is to walk on a virtual path while avoiding obstacles and performing tasks of perceptual, cognitive, and motor characteristics (See ‘‘Tasks’’ section)
Summary
Exergaming can broadly be defined as ‘‘A game that involves physical exercise and that integrates motion-tracking technology that enables interaction with the game and real-time feedback of user’s performance’’ (Perez-Marcos, 2018). There is great potential in designing games and tasks that are directed towards specific impairments, both physical or cognitive (de Bruin et al, 2010; Vogt et al, 2019). New digital technologies that can engage and motivate for movement and activity are emerging, with great potential for health care and rehabilitation services (McCaskey et al, 2018). Exergaming is one such technology that has been found to benefit cognitive functioning (Stanmore et al, 2017), enhance prefrontal brain activity (Eggenberger et al, 2016; Schättin et al, 2016), and improve physical and mental health (Xu et al, 2020). The game involved both cognitive (navigation, planning) and motor processes (walking), which the authors argue are key to avoiding falls
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