Can Asynchronous Exergames Increase Physical Activity in the Elderly?

This study investigates the effectiveness of employing an asynchronous exergame to encourage physical activity in the elderly population. In this study, we will test the hypothesis that connecting daily activity data with the introduction of special abilities in a game could boost their motivation towards exercising. Consequently, this increased motivation is expected to result in a higher daily step count and greater overall physical activity. Additionally, the study explores participants’ adherence to the recommended game playing frequency and compares manually recorded steps with those recorded by a smart band. Lastly, the study focuses on the user experience through a thematic analysis. The findings suggest that the introduction of abilities effectively promotes physical activity, participants exceed the time play frequency recommended, and the overall feedback from the game was positive.