IRMA-International.org: Creator of Knowledge
Information Resources Management Association
Advancing the Concepts & Practices of Information Resources Management in Modern Organizations

Influencing Physical Activity and Healthy Behaviors in College Students: Lessons from an Alternate Reality Game

Influencing Physical Activity and Healthy Behaviors in College Students: Lessons from an Alternate Reality Game
View Sample PDF
Author(s): Jeanne D. Johnston (Indiana University, USA), Lee Sheldon (Indiana University, USA)and Anne P. Massey (Indiana University, USA)
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 20
Source title: Serious Game Design and Development: Technologies for Training and Learning
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Jan Cannon-Bowers (University of Central Florida, USA)and Clint Bowers (University of Central Florida, USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-739-8.ch015

Purchase


Abstract

Physical inactivity is largely preventable through education, individual, and/or community-based interventions. Yet, in the college-age population, traditional interventions (e.g., lecture-based academic courses) may not fully meet their social and learning needs. Here, the authors report on a study regarding the effectiveness of an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) – called The Skeleton Chase – in influencing physical activity and wellness of college-age students. A growing game genre, an ARG is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform and involves multiple media (e.g., game-related web sites, game-related blogs, public web sites, search engines, text/voice messages, video, etc.) to reveal a story. The authors’ initial results are extremely promising relative to the impact on physical activity, as well as tangential learning such as teamwork and problem-solving. They also report students’ reactions to the game itself, highlighting game design strengths and weaknesses that may inform game designers.

Related Content

Johnny L. Williams. © 2026. 26 pages.
Anthony Mark Gray, James E. Bartlett. © 2026. 32 pages.
Christopher H. Slotboom. © 2026. 72 pages.
Ameera Law, Sebastian Gutierrez, Keren Asgodom, Mahrukh Khan. © 2026. 32 pages.
Kashish Ali, Autumn Garcia, Alina Vadsariya. © 2026. 20 pages.
Michelle Bartlett. © 2026. 22 pages.
Tarana Afrin Chandel. © 2026. 32 pages.
Body Bottom