ABSTRACT
An interactive electronic playground device has been conceived to enhance the physical play experience of a young “electronic savy” user group. Experimental testing was therefore required to validate the concept and the spatial envelope along with providing insights into the optimal play intensity, period of play and recovery times. By altering these key parameters of the game it is thought that higher levels of enjoyment along with high levels of energy expenditure can be achieved. It is known that motivation is highest when the challenge or difficulty of the task matches personal abilities and skills (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975). This matching leads to high levels of enjoyment and engagement in the task whereas a mismatch can lead to either boredom (low challenge/high skills) or anxiety (high challenge/low skills). Effort is therefore placed at finding the optimal level of difficulty and rate of advancement through the game. The results from the experimentation are to be used to develop the final play device.
