Rift Racers - Effect of Balancing and Competition on Exertion, Enjoyment, and Motivation in an Immersive Exergame

Burkhard C. Wunsche; Michael Abernethy; Sylwia Hyniewska; Zhang Luo; Roshan Prakash Pawar; Sheng Cao; Christopher Brock; Alex Shaw; Christof Lutteroth

doi:10.1109/IVCNZ54163.2021.9653159

Rift Racers - Effect of Balancing and Competition on Exertion, Enjoyment, and Motivation in an Immersive Exergame

Burkhard C. Wunsche, Michael Abernethy, Sylwia Hyniewska, Zhang Luo, Roshan Prakash Pawar, Sheng Cao, Christopher Brock, Alex Shaw, Christof Lutteroth

Auckland University of Technology

Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceeding › Chapter in a published conference proceeding

6 Citations (SciVal)

182 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

By immersing themselves in a game users may exert themselves more than they would in every day life. One important driving factor in games and many forms of exercise is competition, at once engaging socially in the activity and trying to outdo an opponent or oneself. Large differences in fitness levels make competition infeasible between some opponents, but exergaming can remedy this with the use of balancing via exertion.We developed a fully immersive virtual cycling race and balanced the competition between opponents by scaling their speed according to how close they were to their target heart rate. Incorporating a virtual reality headset and a vibrant 3D world, users were exhilarated and pushed themselves to high levels of exertion. Our results suggest that balanced games can reduce the performance gap between opponents, and might increase motivation and enjoyment for users with lower fitness level. However, heart-rate balancing might be demotivating for very fit users.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	2021 36th International Conference on Image and Vision Computing New Zealand (IVCNZ)
Editors	Michael J. Cree
Place of Publication	U. S. A.
Publisher	IEEE
ISBN (Electronic)	9781665406451
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/IVCNZ54163.2021.9653159
Publication status	Published - 31 Dec 2021
Event	36th International Conference on Image and Vision Computing New Zealand, IVCNZ 2021 - Tauranga, New Zealand Duration: 9 Dec 2021 → 10 Dec 2021

Publication series

Name	International Conference Image and Vision Computing New Zealand
Volume	2021-December
ISSN (Print)	2151-2191
ISSN (Electronic)	2151-2205

Conference

Conference	36th International Conference on Image and Vision Computing New Zealand, IVCNZ 2021
Country/Territory	New Zealand
City	Tauranga
Period	9/12/21 → 10/12/21

Keywords

Competition
Exercise game
Exergame
Exertion
Game balancing
Immersion
Virtual reality

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Computational Theory and Mathematics
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Access to Document

10.1109/IVCNZ54163.2021.9653159

RiftRacers-IVCNZ2021.PDF
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Accepted author manuscript, 7.89 MB

Cite this

Wunsche, B. C., Abernethy, M., Hyniewska, S., Luo, Z., Prakash Pawar, R., Cao, S., Brock, C., Shaw, A., & Lutteroth, C. (2021). Rift Racers - Effect of Balancing and Competition on Exertion, Enjoyment, and Motivation in an Immersive Exergame. In M. J. Cree (Ed.), 2021 36th International Conference on Image and Vision Computing New Zealand (IVCNZ) Article 9653159 (International Conference Image and Vision Computing New Zealand; Vol. 2021-December). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/IVCNZ54163.2021.9653159

Rift Racers - Effect of Balancing and Competition on Exertion, Enjoyment, and Motivation in an Immersive Exergame. / Wunsche, Burkhard C.; Abernethy, Michael; Hyniewska, Sylwia et al.
2021 36th International Conference on Image and Vision Computing New Zealand (IVCNZ). ed. / Michael J. Cree. U. S. A.: IEEE, 2021. 9653159 (International Conference Image and Vision Computing New Zealand; Vol. 2021-December).

Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceeding › Chapter in a published conference proceeding

Wunsche, BC, Abernethy, M, Hyniewska, S, Luo, Z, Prakash Pawar, R, Cao, S, Brock, C, Shaw, A & Lutteroth, C 2021, Rift Racers - Effect of Balancing and Competition on Exertion, Enjoyment, and Motivation in an Immersive Exergame. in MJ Cree (ed.), 2021 36th International Conference on Image and Vision Computing New Zealand (IVCNZ)., 9653159, International Conference Image and Vision Computing New Zealand, vol. 2021-December, IEEE, U. S. A., 36th International Conference on Image and Vision Computing New Zealand, IVCNZ 2021, Tauranga, New Zealand, 9/12/21. https://doi.org/10.1109/IVCNZ54163.2021.9653159

Wunsche BC, Abernethy M, Hyniewska S, Luo Z, Prakash Pawar R, Cao S et al. Rift Racers - Effect of Balancing and Competition on Exertion, Enjoyment, and Motivation in an Immersive Exergame. In Cree MJ, editor, 2021 36th International Conference on Image and Vision Computing New Zealand (IVCNZ). U. S. A.: IEEE. 2021. 9653159. (International Conference Image and Vision Computing New Zealand). Epub 2021 Dec 29. doi: 10.1109/IVCNZ54163.2021.9653159

Wunsche, Burkhard C. ; Abernethy, Michael ; Hyniewska, Sylwia et al. / Rift Racers - Effect of Balancing and Competition on Exertion, Enjoyment, and Motivation in an Immersive Exergame. 2021 36th International Conference on Image and Vision Computing New Zealand (IVCNZ). editor / Michael J. Cree. U. S. A. : IEEE, 2021. (International Conference Image and Vision Computing New Zealand).

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abstract = "By immersing themselves in a game users may exert themselves more than they would in every day life. One important driving factor in games and many forms of exercise is competition, at once engaging socially in the activity and trying to outdo an opponent or oneself. Large differences in fitness levels make competition infeasible between some opponents, but exergaming can remedy this with the use of balancing via exertion.We developed a fully immersive virtual cycling race and balanced the competition between opponents by scaling their speed according to how close they were to their target heart rate. Incorporating a virtual reality headset and a vibrant 3D world, users were exhilarated and pushed themselves to high levels of exertion. Our results suggest that balanced games can reduce the performance gap between opponents, and might increase motivation and enjoyment for users with lower fitness level. However, heart-rate balancing might be demotivating for very fit users. ",

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Rift Racers - Effect of Balancing and Competition on Exertion, Enjoyment, and Motivation in an Immersive Exergame

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Centre for the Analysis of Motion, Entertainment Research and Applications (CAMERA) - 2.0

Centre for the Analysis of Motion, Entertainment Research and Applications (CAMERA)

Cite this

Rift Racers - Effect of Balancing and Competition on Exertion, Enjoyment, and Motivation in an Immersive Exergame

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Centre for the Analysis of Motion, Entertainment Research and Applications (CAMERA) - 2.0

Centre for the Analysis of Motion, Entertainment Research and Applications (CAMERA)

Cite this