Balancing different fitness levels in competitive exergames based on heart rate and performance

Combining exercises with game elements (exergaming) is a promising approach to increase physical activity of users not intrinsically motivated to exercise. Multiplayer games are particularly promising, since they add a social (competitive or collaborative) component. However, exercising together can become frustrating if users have vastly different abilities. In this paper, we review existing approaches for balancing differing physical abilities of players in competitive exergames, and based on this, we propose a novel exertion-based balancing formula. In contrast to previous work, we evaluate exertion-based balancing formulas with a moderately complex gameplay and show that it results in closer competitive gameplay and a more enjoyable game experience. The proposed formula can be applied to a wide variety of exergames and has the potential to increase compliance and long-term use of exergames.