research-article

Seriously fun: exploring how to combine promoting health awareness and engaging gameplay

Authors:

Heli Väätäjä,

Tytti Virtanen,

Roope RaisamoAuthors Info & Claims

MindTrek '08: Proceedings of the 12th international conference on Entertainment and media in the ubiquitous era

Pages 18 - 22

https://doi.org/10.1145/1457199.1457204

Published: 07 October 2008 Publication History

Abstract

Combining engaging gameplay and educational aspects promoting health awareness gives an interesting challenge to game designers. This case study explores adolescents' (aged 13--16) technology usage, gaming habits and gaming motivations, as well as the elements affecting the user experience in serious games. Findings emphasize the importance of social aspects in gaming in form of presence of friends while gaming, or in offline or online multiplayer gaming. According to the findings games should offer challenges matching the player's competence and enable improvement, advancement and developing skills. Modifying characters, exploring the game world and physical activity were also important. The causes and consequences of selections in game and their relation to real-life were wished to be shown clearly in games. Design implications for designing games that promote health awareness are presented.

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Cited By

Shernoff DShernoff D(2024)Educational Video Games and Technology IntegrationIntegrative STEM and STEAM Education for Real-Life Learning10.1007/978-3-031-69824-8_8(177-195)Online publication date: 22-Oct-2024
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-69824-8_8
Moriya KIio TShingai YMorita TKusunoki FInagaki SMizoguchi H(2022)Playing with invisible animals: An interactive system of floor-projected footprints to encourage children’s imaginationInternational Journal of Child-Computer Interaction10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.10040732(100407)Online publication date: Jun-2022
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.100407
Schwarz AHuertas-Delgado FCardon GDeSmet A(2020)Design Features Associated with User Engagement in Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion in Youth: A Systematic Review of Qualitative and Quantitative StudiesGames for Health Journal10.1089/g4h.2019.0058Online publication date: 10-Jan-2020
https://doi.org/10.1089/g4h.2019.0058
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Index Terms

Seriously fun: exploring how to combine promoting health awareness and engaging gameplay
1. Applied computing
  1. Education

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Published In

cover image ACM Conferences

MindTrek '08: Proceedings of the 12th international conference on Entertainment and media in the ubiquitous era

October 2008

221 pages

ISBN:9781605581972

DOI:10.1145/1457199

Conference Chairs:
Frans Mäyrä
University of Tampere, Finland
,
Katri Lietsala
University of Tampere, Finland
,
Heljä Franssila
University of Tampere, Finland
,
Editors:
Artur Lugmayr,
Frans Mäyrä,
Heljä Franssila,
Katri Lietsala,
General Chair:
Artur Lugmayr
Tampere University of Technology, Finland

Copyright © 2008 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Published: 07 October 2008

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MindTrek08: MindTrek08

October 7 - 9, 2008

Tampere, Finland

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Overall Acceptance Rate 110 of 207 submissions, 53%

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Cited By

Shernoff DShernoff D(2024)Educational Video Games and Technology IntegrationIntegrative STEM and STEAM Education for Real-Life Learning10.1007/978-3-031-69824-8_8(177-195)Online publication date: 22-Oct-2024
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-69824-8_8
Moriya KIio TShingai YMorita TKusunoki FInagaki SMizoguchi H(2022)Playing with invisible animals: An interactive system of floor-projected footprints to encourage children’s imaginationInternational Journal of Child-Computer Interaction10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.10040732(100407)Online publication date: Jun-2022
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.100407
Schwarz AHuertas-Delgado FCardon GDeSmet A(2020)Design Features Associated with User Engagement in Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion in Youth: A Systematic Review of Qualitative and Quantitative StudiesGames for Health Journal10.1089/g4h.2019.0058Online publication date: 10-Jan-2020
https://doi.org/10.1089/g4h.2019.0058
Kari TSalo MFrank L(2019)Role of situational context in use continuance after critical exergaming incidentsInformation Systems Journal10.1111/isj.1227330:3(596-633)Online publication date: 15-Nov-2019
https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12273
Vaghetti CMonteiro-Junior RFinco MReategui ESilva da Costa Botelho S(2018)Exergames Experience in Physical Education: A ReviewPhysical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research10.2478/pcssr-2018-001078:1(23-32)Online publication date: 19-Jul-2018
https://doi.org/10.2478/pcssr-2018-0010
Schwarz AMertens LSimons MSpook JThompson DCardon GDe Bourdeaudhuij IChastin SDeSmet A(2018)Which Game Narratives Do Adolescents of Different Gameplay and Sociodemographic Backgrounds Prefer? A Mixed-Methods AnalysisGames for Health Journal10.1089/g4h.2017.0178Online publication date: 9-Nov-2018
https://doi.org/10.1089/g4h.2017.0178
González CAdelantado V(2016)A Structural Theoretical Framework Based on Motor Play to Categorize and Analyze Active Video GamesGames and Culture10.1177/155541201557661311:7-8(690-719)Online publication date: 22-May-2016
https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412015576613
Kinnula MIivari NIjäs TTurunen M(2015)Designing for young people's ICT useProceedings of the 19th International Academic Mindtrek Conference10.1145/2818187.2818269(130-137)Online publication date: 22-Sep-2015
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2818187.2818269
Fitton DBell BRead JIversen OLittle LHorton MJones MPalanque PSchmidt AGrossman T(2014)Understanding teen UXCHI '14 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/2559206.2559232(79-82)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2014
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2559206.2559232
Raisamo RWalldén SSuhonen KMyllymaa KRaisamo SVänni K(2012)Design and Evaluation of TamhattanHandbook of Research on Serious Games as Educational, Business and Research Tools10.4018/978-1-4666-0149-9.ch005(90-107)Online publication date: 2012
https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-0149-9.ch005
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