Exergetic: An innovative digital solution to individually improve physical and cognitive functions using an exergame (video game-based) training in an ecologically valid and safe setting for the geriatric population

As the Canadian partner in this consortium, the HCI Games Group will focus on foundational research and usability studies to determine users’ needs and preferences for the context of an exergame for older adults. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Lennart Nacke, a group of postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate researchers will systematically explore audiovisual, narrative, social, and accessibility-related factors in exergame design for older adults. The team already has prior expertise in human-computer interaction in game-based training, as exemplified in journal and conference publications on this topic by a number of the team’s researchers. The team also has connections to Toronto’s AbleGamers organization, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the accessibility of video games. By exploring these aspects in an exergame for cognitive and physical training, the team will develop knowledge and actionable insights for a rapidly emerging global market. Their direct contributions to the design and development of a tool to help older adults improve and recover cognitive and physical functions will potentially decrease costs of rehabilitation and will have a substantial positive effect on older adults’ health, quality of life, and wellbeing.