Exergames for Health – Bringing digital and motivating forms of therapy and training to the clinic and public

The aim of the ExerUp Outreach Project was to share expertise on exergames in a health context with professionals and the general public. To this end, a series of creative workshops were held, a website was launched, and a social media channel was set up and maintained. A new visual branding strategy ensured consistent and recognisable communication. The name “ExerUp! Portal” was chosen for the content and platforms (website, LinkedIn channel, presentations) related to the project, which were designed to be accessible to the general public, so that the content created in the outreach project could be easily distinguished from the specialist content already published on the ExerUp research projects.

All the workshops consisted of two parts: a theoretical session and collaborative creative sessions. In the first part, participants gained insights into the theories behind game design, the technological systems currently available in physiotherapy, and the co-creative development of exergames within interdisciplinary teams. In the interactive part of the workshops, participants were able to develop their own digital and analogue concepts for playful physiotherapy sessions and try out existing exergames. An accompanying LinkedIn channel was set up to make scientifically based findings accessible to a lay audience. The workshops were announced and documented using images and video material. In addition to such regular posts, three further post types were defined: 1) presentation of exergame devices, 2) quotes from relevant specialist literature, 3) humorous posts on the potential and limitations of exergames. To provide a consolidated source of specialist knowledge on existing exergames, the website www.exerup.ch was launched. This website presents 8 devices (including existing research) on which various digital exergames can be played.