Abstract:
Participating in regular physical activity reduces the likelihood of developing heart
disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. With many people around the world not getting
enough exercise and the early abandonment of downloaded mobile fitness apps, it is essential to
discover how exergames using gamification and stories can affect non-exercisers. Exercise can
lead to a healthier and longer lifespan; however, many adults are not motivated to exercise
regularly. This pilot study examined how an exergame that included storytelling affected adult
non-exercisers' motivations to adopt an exercise routine. Using the mobile exergame app
Zombies, Run!, participants played the lead character in a zombie adventure story. As users
exercised, they listened to immersive audio missions with gamification features that included
collecting emergency supplies for a post-apocalypse community. Exergames using gamification
and storytelling techniques show great promise in increasing physical activity in some users;
however, their long-term effectiveness and behavior changes of users adopting an active lifestyle
are unclear. Seven participants (aged 22-57 years old) walked three times a week for a total of
four weeks. The findings of this study demonstrate that motivation to adopt an exercise routine
was not positively influenced by exergames using storytelling.
