Tailoring virtual environments of an exergame for physiotherapy: the role of positive distractions and sensation-seeking

Abstract

Recent findings have shown that exergames can facilitate physiotherapy. Environmental conditions, such as the inclusion of positive distractions also seem to play a role in health recovery, but prior studies have never analyzed their role in virtual environments. In this study, we developed an exergame for the exercise of upper limbs by designing virtual environments with nature elements and testing the impact of including additional positive distractions. Participants (N=124, 81 females) were randomly assigned to one of two virtual environments: positive distractions vs. no distractions. To test whether these two environments matched the users’ characteristics, sensation seeking was examined as a moderator. Measures of affect, sense of presence, intrinsic motivation, and vitality, were applied after the sessions and game performance was assessed. Results showed that both environments were positively evaluated for all the dependent variables, regardless of the positive distractions and the sensation-seeking traits. However, game performance was affected by the environment and the participants’ sensation-seeking traits, suggesting that the additional distractions can reduce performance and that individual differences also seem to impact performance.