Design of a virtual trainer for exergaming

Exergames are becoming increasingly popular as a way of motivating people to exercise. However, merely adding exercise elements to a game may not achieve the desired level of motivation and long term adherence. By designing an exergame which takes into account the user's personality profile, the user's level of motivation to play the game and thus exercise may be increased.

In this paper, we present an exergame using a virtual trainer system which can be customized for the personality of the user. The trainer system supports two modes: a competitive mode for players who are motivated by pushing themselves to beat an opponent, and a cooperative mode for players who enjoy working with another player to perform well.

We conduct a brief pilot study to evaluate our virtual trainers in which participants' personalities are evaluated using the Sport Orientation Questionnaire. They then play three short sessions of the exergame: a control condition without a trainer system, and one for each of the two trainer system. Our initial results indicate that the training systems are highly motivating when matching the personality of the user, particularly for competitive individuals.