ExARgaming

An experimental comparison between AR und VR exergaming

In an increasingly digitalized world, it is more important than ever to pay attention to one's own exercise. In addition to club sports or fitness studios, digital applications can also contribute to sufficient physical exercise and exertion. So-called exergames capture the body's movements to control the game and are therefore ideal for implementation as immersive virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications. One possible obstacle, however, are the spatial limitations that most users of such games are confronted with at home.

To investigate possible constraints in movement, due to the perceived fear of colliding with real objects (Collision Anxiety), two variants (VR & AR) of a prototypical exergame were designed, implemented, and used in a first empirical study within this research project. In the game "ExARcism", players must first lure ghosts out of a haunted house by drumming in order to catch and banish them into a portal in the second phase. During the game players can move freely within the room and are encouraged to perform various movements. The prototype is to be expanded in upcoming theses on the topic of Collision Anxiety.