Towards Understanding Users’ Engagement and Enjoyment in Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Exercises

Abstract

Exergaming has shown promising results for promoting user's wellbeing in terms of physical and cognitive benefits. Although non-immersive virtual reality-based games have proven to be useful for user's physical wellbeing, there is limited study in immersive virtual reality (iVR) for exergaming particularly in user's engagement and enjoyment. Furthermore, there is limited study in comparing user's engagement and enjoyment between iVR exercises and conventional exercises without using digital games. Hence, in this exploratory study, user's engagement and enjoyment in doing iVR exercises were explored through a survey study. The preliminary findings from a two-week survey study show that users were more engaged in iVR than conventional exercises, and a similar pattern can be found in user's enjoyment. The findings suggest that iVR exercises are potentially useful and enjoyable for users to engage in physical exercises, while they may be an alternative to conventional exercises. These preliminary findings have created opportunities for future research in iVR-based exercises for users.