“In the Zone” -
Flow Experience,
Enjoyment and
Mood after ExerGame Play
Dr Alasdair G Thin BSc, PhD
Heriot-Watt University, Scotland

Exercise is a Hard Sell !!
Quality Frog

Promoting Positive
Health Behavior Change
Persuasive Message
(“Exercise is Good for You!”)
Perceived Future Reward
Contemplation Preparation
Exer-
Gaming
Maintenance Action
Persuasive Interactive
Experience
Immediate Real Reward

Flow Concept - “In the Zone”
Challenge
Anxiety
Flow State
Boredom
Ability
Csikszentmihalyi, M (1990) Flow: the psychology of optimal experience

Methods
14 subjects completed study
Subjects played 6 ExerGames in a randomized order
(approx. 6 mins duration each)
Cycle Ergometer (Exercise Bike) included for
comparison (Target Heart Rate 120 bpm)
2 Familiarization Sessions prior to Experimental Session
Hear Rate monitored throughout
After each bout, subjects were asked to rate:
Perceived Exertion, Game Difficulty, Game Enjoyment
& 6 Visual Analogue Mood Scales (Polman et al., 2007)
At end of session subjects completed Flow State
Scale-2 questionnaire (Jackson & Eklund, 2002)

Selected ExerGames Studied 1
AntiGrav Boxing
Kinetic (Sidewinder)

Selected ExerGames Studied 2
Tennis Hula Hoop
Step Aerobics

Heart Rate

Rating of Perceived Exertion

Game Difficulty Rating

Game Enjoyment Rating

Mood rating: Relaxed - Tense

Flow State Experience

Summary
Heart Rate was in range 100-115 bpm in all ExerGames
except Kinetic (Sidewinder was higher)
Rating of Perceived Exertion was more variable
(Did arm movement and excitement affect RPE-HR relationship?)
ExerGames varied widely in Game Difficulty rating
ExerGame Enjoyment ratings appear to be related to game
play mechanics (i.e. higher enjoyment with punching, hitting or striking objects)
Several ExerGames (and conventional Bike exercise)
resulted in an increase in the Tension mood rating
ExerGaming resulted in 2 sub-scales of the Flow State
Experience questionnaire scoring higher than norms for
conventional physical activity

Proposed ExerGaming Paradox

Conclusions
Playing ExerGames can result in a highly Enjoyable
experience especially with games involving punching,
hitting or striking objects
ExerGames can provide an experience that is better
than conventional physical activity in terms of the Flow
State components
Challenge-Skill Balance
Merging of Action and Awareness
There appears to be a possible down-side in terms of
increased levels of Tension which requires further
investigation
Overall, ExerGaming play has a number of positive
psychological features with regard to promoting
positive health behavior change

Acknowledgements
Danny McEachen
Annemarie Crozier
School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University

Contact
Dr Alasdair G Thin, BSc, PhD
Active Video Game Researcher
a.g.thin@thin.me.uk
www.gamersizescience.org