RecoVR

The usefulness of games and gamification to stimulate motivation in healthcare applications, and more specifically PT, has not been researched extensively. None of the game-based solutions for physical therapy I identified in literature were narrative-based, despite the usefulness of narratives to spark intrinsic motivation in people. Moreover, they relied on gamification as opposed to deep game mechanics.

I chose to design a narrative-driven game to explore the potential of this type of game in PT.

I opted for a 3D as opposed to a 2D game, to create a more immersive experience for the user that emulates their activity in the real world.

PT specialists I interviewed recommended VR over a 3D PC/tablet game, for its immersive nature and the growing evidence that it reduces discomfort and pain perception.

Moreover, as headsets become more compact and comfortable, they will become easier to maneuver when exercising in different positions (laying down, standing up) as opposed to screens.

I created a 1st person game (as opposed to 3rd person) to immerse the player - who becomes the hero - into the narrative. This also helps them relate their recovery goals to game objectives more easily.

The environment, with its luxurious vegetation and temple ruins, stimulates curiosity and promotes adventure. Moreover, literature suggests fantasy is the best genre for PT games, which I leaned into.

I acquired the environment from beffio and integrated it into my game. I decided spending a couple days to find a well-developed package for VR that fit within my vision for the game would be more useful, given the short timeframe, than spending weeks to design the perfect world. This choice paid off, as I was able to complete the project and run a preliminary study, which is very valuable for the future direction of the project.

I chose music to instill a sense of calm exploration, fit for PT, which players also loved. I acquired the music from Unity’s free 3D Game Kit, which I explored for a PC version of my game.

In a nutshell, computer vision algorithms are fast, accessible, accurate, free, and easier to use for real-time data collection than IMUs. Conversely, IMUs have a bigger learning curve and are more expensive for real-time applications.

MediaPipe, specifically, is highly accurate and available for implementation on most modern devices.

Robo, the friendly robot helper character, marries storytelling and positive reinforcement. It narrates the storyline and delivered positive reinforcement, which is very useful during PT. Robo appeals to the emotions of the player, motivating them to keep going and immersing them into the game.

Based on literature, I decided the helper-character should be a cute robot with a positive attitude and vague human resemblance (to avoid the Uncanny Valley).

Some users hate how often helper characters pop up in video games, so I made the choice to only show Robo at checkpoints.

It worked! All users enjoyed their interaction with Robo, and even suggested more engagement, e.g. by giving Robo a voice or involving it more actively into the activities.