Insights of the augmented dodgeball game design and play test

Modern technology enables us to create novel devices and provide exciting new user experiences. In today's world where few people get engaged to physical activities regularly and in the amounts recommended by the doctors, it is important to find ways to encourage more active lifestyles. As fun, enjoyment and social aspects of the activity have a great impact on the decision on whether to exercise or not, it is wise to unite the two fields of technology and sports. Augmented Dodgeball was designed to enrich the experience of playing dodgeball and make it more attractive to participants. Specifically we focused on designing a physical game that players with different skill levels and physiology could enjoy playing together. For balancing between the players, virtual parameters that the players are aware of are used. In this paper we describe the game design and the development of the Dodgeball Game simulator as well as the observations and results from the play test.