Gamification of physical therapy for the treatment of pediatric cerebral palsy: A pilot study examining player preferences. Whittinghill, D. & Brown, J. (2014), American Society for Engineering Education 121st Annual Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, IN.
Pilot study
Link to content: www.asee.org/public/conferences/32/papers/10954/view
Objective: Few active games are made to meet the clinical needs of children with cerebral palsy. The authors created a Microsoft Xbox Kinect game based on the upper body physical therapy routines typically prescribed for children with cerebral palsy, and tested it for player satisfaction. Burnie is juvenile, whimsical and rich in positive feedback. "Reframing the therapy experience is the essence of Burnie’s gamification."
Method: A convenience sample of 21 6 – 34 year olds with and without cerebral palsy played Burnie for 15 minutes, then completed a post-game questionnaire.
Results: A Likert scale with 1 being least favourable and 10 most favourable returned values of overall enjoyment 6.75, pleasing esthetics 7.65 and pleasing game controls 5.4. A lower value on game controls may be a function of the discomfort experienced as a part of therapy exercise, a desired therapy outcome. Overall, the authors feel this study leads to a better 'behaviorally oriented physical therapy game experience'.