Augmented exergaming: increasing exercise duration in novices

Engaging people in exercise is vital for the health of the population. Health issues such as obesity are significant ongoing concerns for governments and society across the world, which can be improved through increasing the exercise activities of the population. The problem of lack of motivation for and engagement in exercise is well known, and so identifying techniques to improve engagement in exercise activities is worthy of investigation. This project reports on an initiative designed to increase both the duration of exercise activity and the intensity of exercise activity, through a gamified exercise solution. Preliminary results indicate that augmenting traditional exercise equipment with gamified elements can increase the time spent exercising, when compared to nongamified exercise equipment.