VR 運動遊戲：改善健康的解決方案

對健康和健身的日益關注推動全球 VR 健身遊戲市場在 2022 年價值約 111 億美元，預計到本十年末將超過 160 億美元。

As digitization advances, technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) are emerging. These aim to seamlessly integrate the digital world into our daily lives, allowing us to cross boundaries and enter realms previously unthinkable.

隨著數位化的進步，人工智慧（AI）、擴增實境（AR）和虛擬實境（VR）等技術不斷湧現。這些旨在將數位世界無縫融入我們的日常生活，使我們能夠跨越界限，進入以前難以想像的領域。

VR, in particular, is a computer-generated simulated experience perceived through wearable technology and sensory components. Realistic images and sounds are generated through headsets and projections, creating a virtual environment where people can move around and interact with the virtual items.

尤其是虛擬現實，是一種透過穿戴式技術和感官組件感知的電腦生成的模擬體驗。透過耳機和投影產生逼真的影像和聲音，創造一個虛擬環境，人們可以在其中移動並與虛擬物品互動。

The most popular applications of this technology are currently found in video games, virtual meetings, medical training, patient rehabilitation, and military training. Another interesting and highly beneficial use case of VR has emerged in the fitness industry, where an estimated 1 to 2 million people are working out in VR.

目前該技術最受歡迎的應用是視訊遊戲、虛擬會議、醫療訓練、患者復健和軍事訓練。 VR 的另一個有趣且非常有益的用例出現在健身產業，估計有 100 到 200 萬人在 VR 中鍛鍊。

This is of great significance as regular physical activity is essential for maintaining a healthy weight, improving mental health, protecting against chronic conditions, and increasing the overall quality of life. However, motivation and adherence to exercise continue to be the problem with all kinds of physical exercises.

這具有重要意義，因為定期的身體活動對於維持健康的體重、改善心理健康、預防慢性病和提高整體生活品質至關重要。然而，運動的動力和堅持仍然是各種體能訓練的問題。

Companies and scientists expect to change with VR exergaming—a combination of physical exercise with gaming—which holds great promise for incentivizing physical activity. According to Dr. Dominic Potts, the lead author of a new study that aims to leverage sensor technology to keep exercisers motivated:

公司和科學家期望透過 VR 運動遊戲（體能鍛鍊與遊戲的結合）來改變，這對於激勵身體活動具有巨大的前景。一項新研究的主要作者 Dominic Potts 博士表示，該研究旨在利用感測器技術來保持鍛鍊者的積極性：

“With exergaming, we can address this issue and maximize a person's enjoyment and performance by adapting the challenge level to match a user's abilities and mood.”

“透過運動遊戲，我們可以解決這個問題，並透過調整挑戰等級以匹配用戶的能力和情緒，最大限度地提高人們的樂趣和表現。”

VR Exergaming: The Solution to Better Health

VR 運動遊戲：改善健康的解決方案

The increasing focus on health and fitness has driven the global VR fitness game market worth about $11.1 billion in 2022, with projections to surpass $16 billion by the end of this decade. With the help of VR technology, people can exercise and maintain their health right from the comfort of their homes.

對健康和健身的日益關注推動全球 VR 健身遊戲市場在 2022 年價值約 111 億美元，預計到本十年末將超過 160 億美元。借助VR技術，人們可以在舒適的家中鍛鍊身體並保持健康。

Exergaming, or active video gaming, is an emerging trend in which digital games require bodily movement to play, stimulating an active gaming experience. This is why many have also designated it “the future of fitness.”

運動遊戲或主動視訊遊戲是一種新興趨勢，其中數位遊戲需要身體運動才能玩，從而刺激主動的遊戲體驗。這就是為什麼許多人也將其稱為“健身的未來”。

Compared to conventional exercise, exergames can enhance both performance and enjoyment by distracting users from discomfort as they reach closer to or surpass the ventilatory threshold, immersing them in engaging virtual environments.

與傳統鍛鍊相比，運動遊戲可以在使用者接近或超過通氣閾值時分散使用者的注意力，讓他們沉浸在引人入勝的虛擬環境中，從而提高運動表現和樂趣。

For best results, exergames must offer challenges that correspond with the user's ability, helping them realize the benefits of immersion, performance, and enjoyment. Matching the exergame difficulty to that of the user allows them to achieve a flow state, which is the psychologically optimal state in which a user is focused and engaged.

為了獲得最佳結果，運動遊戲必須提供與使用者能力相對應的挑戰，幫助他們實現沉浸感、表現和享受的好處。將運動遊戲難度與使用者的難度相匹配可以讓他們達到心流狀態，這是使用者集中註意力和參與的心理最佳狀態。

One way to achieve this is to adjust the exergame difficulty in real-time based on the user's heart rate. But there's another, better way to control the adaptations of exergame and that is to estimate the emotional state of the user during the gameplay. Through affect recognition, which is based on physiological sensor measures, exergames can be adapted for not just difficulty but also in other ways like interactive storytelling. It may even help us better understand the player experience.

實現這一目標的一種方法是根據用戶的心率即時調整運動遊戲難度。但還有另一種更好的方法來控制運動遊戲的適應，那就是估計使用者在遊戲過程中的情緒狀態。透過基於生理感測器測量的情感識別，運動遊戲不僅可以適應難度，還可以適應互動式說故事等其他方式。它甚至可以幫助我們更好地了解玩家體驗。

However, affect recognition in exergaming is challenging because of the influence of physical exercise and interpersonal differences on emotions and physiological measures. This calls for the need for emotion-inducing environments, for which researchers have offered solutions. However, they are focused on flow or just how pleasurable it feels (valence). Of course, this is just part of the emotional spectrum and isn't validated either across different levels of exercise intensity.

然而，由於體育鍛鍊和人際差異對情緒和生理指標的影響，運動遊戲中的情緒辨識具有挑戰性。這就需要誘導情緒的環境，研究人員為此提供了解決方案。然而，他們關注的是心流或它的愉悅感（效價）。當然，這只是情緒範圍的一部分，並且沒有在不同的運動強度等級上得到驗證。

Furthermore, physical exertion affects several physiological measures such as movement and perspiration. While affect recognition has been investigated in non-VR exergames, though only at moderate exercise intensities, there hasn't been a systematic and rigorous comparison of a person's affective state in VR exergames across various exertion levels besides valence.

此外，體力消耗會影響多種生理指標，例如運動和排汗。雖然情緒辨識已經在非VR 運動遊戲中進行了研究，儘管只是在中等運動強度下進行，但除了效價之外，還沒有對一個人在VR 運動遊戲中不同運動水平的情感狀態進行系統和嚴格的比較。

Moreover, there is a need to account for the interpersonal differences, exercise influence, and environmental factors like stimuli when assessing data related to physiological sensors for the same. Removing them from sensor data can increase the generalisability, robustness, and predictive power of affect recognition models, as per the study.

此外，在評估與生理感測器相關的數據時，需要考慮人際差異、運動影響和刺激等環境因素。根據該研究，從感測器數據中刪除它們可以提高情緒識別模型的通用性、穩健性和預測能力。

So, the research team from the University of Bath took upon the task of creating exergames that can actually offer a better and more personalized approach for improved results.

因此，巴斯大學的研究團隊承擔了創建運動遊戲的任務，而這種遊戲實際上可以提供更好、更個人化的方法來改善結果。

Taking a Personalized Approach to VR Exergaming

採用個人化方法進行 VR 運動遊戲

Supported by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program and Innovate UK, the latest research has developed exergames that people can adhere to. These games use sensors to continuously measure a person's emotional state during exercise, adjusting the game in real-time to keep users engaged.

在歐盟 Horizo​​n Europe 研究與創新計劃和 Innovate UK 的支持下，最新研究開發了人們可以堅持的運動遊戲。這些遊戲使用感測器來連續測量一個人在運動期間的情緒狀態，即時調整遊戲以保持用戶的參與。

According to Dr. Potts, completely adaptive exercise games sense a person's emotions and give them obstacles when they're ready for a challenge and ‘rewards' when they're struggling.

波茨博士表示，完全自適應的鍛鍊遊戲可以感知人的情緒，並在他們準備好迎接挑戰時給予他們障礙，並在他們掙扎時給予他們「獎勵」。

The Bath team was successful in developing such personalized exergames by using a new range of sensors that can be put into VR headsets and wearables like smartwatches. These sensors then track the physical changes of the exerciser as

Bath 團隊透過使用一系列新的感應器成功開發了這種個人化的運動遊戲，這些遊戲可以放入 VR 耳機和智慧手錶等穿戴式裝置中。然後，這些感測器會追蹤鍛鍊者的身體變化：