The Jungle Warm-Up Run: Augmenting Athletes with Coach-Guided Dynamic Game Elements

In virtually all sports, warming up is considered important to physically and mentally prepare an athlete for intensive efforts. General warm-up procedures with a correct technique for exercises are widely accepted to prevent injuries. However, most athletes do not warm up at all, or they do not follow a correct procedure. To address this, we designed and evaluated an exergame for warm-up guidance in a user-centered design process involving a fitness expert. The game augments the athlete with coach-guided dynamic game elements. With an online survey (N=466), we investigated general warm-up habits and provide insights on design game elements in this domain. In a between-subject user study (N=12), we compared our proposed exergame against a classic video instructor. As a result of using the exergame, the participants were more engaged (i.e. longer warm-up duration, higher relative intensity, more enjoyment) while reporting the same level of exertion.