Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Feb 26, 2019
Open Peer Review Period: Mar 1, 2019 - Apr 10, 2019
Date Accepted: Apr 18, 2019
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
What do players of virtual reality exercise games want? A thematic analysis of online reviews of virtual reality exergames.
ABSTRACT
Background:
Background:
Physical activity (PA) is associated with a variety of physical and psychosocial health benefits, but levels of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity remain low worldwide. The application of virtual reality (VR) gaming systems involving movement (VR exergames) could be used to engage people in more physical activity.
Objective:
Objective:
Our objective was to synthesise public reviews of popular VR exergames to identify common features that players liked or disliked in order to inform future VR exergame design.
Methods:
Methods:
We conducted a thematic analysis of 498 reviews of the 29 most popular exergames sold in the top three VR marketplaces: Steam, Viveport and Oculus. We grouped reviews into positive and negative categories as they appeared in the marketplaces and identified the most prevalent common themes using inductive thematic analysis.
Results:
Results:
The reviews were often mixed, reporting a great variety of expectations, preferences and gaming experiences. Players preferred highly realistic games (e.g. closely simulate real-world sport), games that were intuitive (in terms of the body movement and controls), and games which provide gradual step-by-step increases in skill acquisition. Players reported feeling that they reached a high level of exertion when playing, and that the immersion distracted them from the exercise intensity. Music and social aspects of the games, with multiplayer options to include friends or help from experienced players, were also preferred features. There were three themes in negative reviews. The first concerned bugs that rendered games frustrating. Secondly, the quality of graphics had a particularly strong impact on perceived enjoyment. Finally, reviewers disliked when games had overly complex controls and display functions that evoked motion sickness.
Conclusions:
Conclusions:
Exergames prove a stimulating avenue for players to engage in physical activity and distract from negative perceptions of performing exercise. Common negative aspects of VR exergames should be addressed to increase uptake and continued engagement.
Citation
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Copyright
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