Designing games to discourage sedentary behaviour

<p>Regular physical activity has many physical, cognitive and emotional benefits. Health researchers have shown that there are also risks to too much sedentary behaviour, regardless of a person’s level of physical activity, and there are now anti-sedentary guidelines alongside the guidelines for physical activity. Exergames (games that require physical exertion) have been successful at encouraging physical activity through fun and engaging gameplay; however, an individual can be both physically active (e.g. by going for a jog in the morning) and sedentary (e.g. by sitting at a computer for the rest of the day). In this chapter, we analyse existing exertion games through the lens of the anti-sedentary guidelines to determine which types of games also meet the requirements for anti-sedentary game design. We review our own game designs in this space and conclude with an identification of design opportunities and research challenges for the new area of anti-sedentary game design.</p>