Exergame Design Guidelines Overview

These design guidelines are based on a series of published research projects. If you use or adapt these for your own work, feel free to get in touch—I'd love to support your efforts.

1. Virtual Spectator Audience in VR Exergames [Paper]

Enable spectator feedback: Trigger cheering or encouragement when users (1) reach milestones, (2) perform well, or (3) block an opponent.
Adapt spectator placement by locomotion scale:
- Low movement: Place spectators behind or above (e.g., Beat Saber).
- Medium movement: Surround players with close-range audience (e.g., Creed VR).
- High movement: Place spectators along game paths or streets (e.g., VR cycling).

2. Representing Co-located Non-VR Users [Paper]

On VR HMD: Use passthrough to show observers only or entire real environment. Avoid floating window views.
On 2D screens: Offer real-life view or avatar representations based on observer preference. For avatars, use consistent style and motion capture for realism.

3. VR Game Design for Older Adults [Paper1], [Paper2]

Include cheering NPCs: Feedback from an audience improves performance and enjoyment.
Custom gestures or adaptive exertion: Let users customize movement or adapt difficulty to their physical ability.
For Chinese older adults:
- Highlight health benefits to increase perceived usefulness.
- Use natural, simple movements to reduce the need for tutorials.
- Add gamified achievements (e.g., badges) to encourage return play.
- Enable social play or leaderboard elements.

4. Audience Familiarity in VR Exergames [Paper]

Customizable NPCs: Integrate familiar individuals such as friends and family by customizing face, height, body shape, and voice of NPC spectators. This boosts immersion and emotional connection.
Personality-aware interaction: Consider personality traits like self-consciousness when designing audience interaction. Tailored designs based on user traits can optimize experience and performance.
Prioritize voice familiarity: Voice familiarity significantly improves player performance and is easier to implement than facial features. Players responded more positively to familiar voices alone than appearance alone.
Implementation tip: Collect voice recordings from real friends or family members and integrate them into cheering NPCs for a more personalized experience.