GameA - activity games for children with cerebral palsy
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Lunds universitet - Institutionen för designvetenskaper |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 1 358 672 |
| Project duration | April 2019 - December 2020 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Digital health |
Important results from the project
The aim of the project was to develop activity games specially designed for children with mobility impairments such as Cerebral Palsy (CP) or Spina bifida (MMC). The goal of the activity games is to encourage movement and counteract a sedentary lifestyle. They are adapted to the abilities of our user group, while being inclusive. There are currently three activity games that serve as "proof of concept" for how this type of game can be designed. We also have an overall game app where you develop characters by collecting points in the activity games. The app is available for iPhone and Android.
Expected long term effects
The games in GameA have been developed encourage physical activity, in particular standing and walking. Children and adolescents with reduced mobility are less physically active than other children and adolescents. Inactivity leads to health risks for the population in general and for people with disabilities in particular. Exercise is often perceived as boring, and it is important that more methods and tools are developed and evaluated that can lead to regular physical activity for everyone, regardless of age, gender, functional ability, cultural and socio-economic conditions.
Approach and implementation
The project is based on co-design, and started with workshops together with users, to gather ideas and evaluate different types of technology. Covid-19 then prevented physical meetings, which meant that we had to collect opinions digitally, as well as through informal contacts with children with and without mobility impairments. The games were evaluated against existing guidelines for accessible games. Finally, the activity games were evaluated by 8 people with CP who rated the AR games as easy to understand and play and on average judged the speed/difficulty as "appropriate".