Interdisciplinary Course on Urban Health Games (EC-TEL2014 WS SCL) - Concept and first results of a new interdisciplinary course on location-based games for health
This article presents the concept and first experiences with a new interdisciplinary course on Urban Health Games at Technische Universität Darmstadt, in which students of architecture, psychology, and computer science develop location-based games for health. The course aims to meet the growing demand for interdisciplinary collaboration to critically investigate and improve the quality of life in cities. The authors present the course format along with first experiences with a prototype for a context-sensitive exergames, in which users learn to balance their heart rate in response to the game’s storytelling and their movement in real world locations. Preliminary tests underline the potential of integrating contextual information on users’ psychophysiological state and the urban environment. They show good results in increasing sensibility towards environmental stressors and health outcomes. Reflecting on the first research outcomes and students’ evaluation, this article identifies challenges of the format in optimizing interdisciplinary exchange among students and researchers. It concludes with an outline of how to further develop the course format.
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Size/transparency: narrow-wideProtection: unprotected-protectedExercise space: limited use – plentyWorkout possibilities: few bases – good baseFurnishing for activity: few-many
KOM – Multimedia Communications Lab 8
Map of analyzed POIs
Picture courtesy of TicTrac, iTunes / Google Play, 2013 / Connected Aps
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Mapping area and POI order to interval training
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Exemplary route
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Train station areaSmartphone connects
excercise to story
„To gain the trust of your informant solve the quest“
Activating POIs
Picture courtesy of TicTrac, iTunes / Google Play, 2013 / Connected Aps
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Activating POIs
Picture courtesy of TicTrac, iTunes / Google Play, 2013 / Connected Aps
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Ferdinand Happ Street (Counting)
Inner courtyard (Quiz)
Relaxing POIs (and “brain”work)
Picture courtesy of TicTrac, iTunes / Google Play, 2013 / Connected Aps
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Riverside of „Main“(Yoga exercises for
breathing with closed eyes)
Example of one user‘s heartrate curve
Relaxing POIs
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Course format demands strong coordination of aims/guidelines establishment of common vocabulary professional support for hardware and schedule
fRUNkfurt (and other prototypes) Data collection can be used for further urban planning Assess design elements of digital games
for urban health games
Preliminary Results
Archi-tecture
ET / IT Psycho-logy
KOM – Multimedia Communications Lab 16
Thank you
Dipl.-Inform. Johannes Konert
Thank you for your Attention, Questions, Answers and Feedback.