Motion-based games for Parkinson's disease patients

Abstract

Games for rehabilitation are developing rapidly in recent years. It has been shown that utilization of therapy and gaming technology affects positively on the patients' physical and mental condition. However, to this day there are only few playable games for Parkinson's disease patients. This paper presents the development process of WuppDi! - a collection of five motion-based games for Parkinson's disease patients, aimed at supporting their exercises routines in various playful environments. We describe the game design challenges for Parkinson's disease patients and our solutions used in the games. Finally, we present the results of a conducted field test showing a very positive motivational effect among the majority of the patients but also highlighting remaining issues and technical difficulties, which can be beneficial for the future development in this field. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.