New directions in designing exergames for the whole family

Exergames, i.e. games that combine play with physical activity, rarely recognize the whole family as a user group in its own right. We organized a design workshop to explore new direction for those types of exergames. We argue that recognizing the whole family as a target group implicitly improves game enjoyment due to its friendly social context, provides an excellent opportunity to improve social relatedness experiences through family bonding and intergenerational interactions, and contributes to individuals' wellbeing in terms of both physical thriving and social relatedness. Three design concepts were proposed using cooperative and/or competitive game modes. We propose considering family members with limited gaming experience as audience players and recognising their autonomy in the exergame design. We believe that through an enhanced understanding of family exergames, designers and developers can build new experiences that accommodate various capabilities and social dynamics of the family.