The design space of social exergames remains narrow despite the many benefits of playing and exercising together. Towards opening this design space, we followed a Research through Design (RtD) approach focused on exergames that can be fun and immersive social training experiences. Through embodied sketching activities with designers and 10 pairs of players, we explored future games for the ExerCube, an immersive exergame platform. Our work contributes with forms of intermediate-level knowledge: a design space model (the Immersive Social Fitness—ImSoFit—Games model); and a novel design vocabulary including new bodily orientations in co-located physical interaction. We illustrate their use and value scrutinizing three of our games and applying three analytical lenses to 1) understand how design choices impact how players move together; 2) evaluate design expectations and analyze players’ behavior in relation to design choices; and 3) potentially extend the design space of immersive co-located social fitness games.

Today's spectrum of playful fitness solutions features systems that are clearly game-first or fitness-first in design; hardly any sufficiently incorporate both areas. Consequently, existing applications and evaluations often lack in focus on attractiveness and effectiveness, which should be addressed on the levels of body, controller, and game scenario following a holistic design approach. To contribute to this topic and as a proof-of-concept, we designed the ExerCube, an adaptive fitness game setup. We evaluated participants' multi-sensory and bodily experiences with a non-adaptive and an adaptive ExerCube version and compared them with personal training to reveal insights to inform the next iteration of the ExerCube. Regarding flow, enjoyment and motivation, the ExerCube is on par with personal training. Results further reveal differences in perception of exertion, types and quality of movement, social factors, feedback, and audio experiences. Finally, we derive considerations for future research and development directions in holistic fitness game setups.

Among younger people, game-based group workouts have become very popular. Thus, as design resources, the social settings become as important as the technology. However, there is still limited knowledge about how to exploit the full design potential of bodily interplay in social exertion games and how technology can be used as a social exertion "shaper" rather than a "limitation". To contribute to this topic, we present a multiplayer version of our adaptive exergame "Plunder Planet". It can be played with two controllers demanding either haptic or gesture-based input movements. We conducted a study and investigated the social and bodily potential of our game. Playing the game with both devices supported good social gameplay experiences. The haptic device supported a greater feeling of empathy and engagement. Children's preferred version and employed play strategies depended on their skills/preferences in sports and gaming. Results help identify design approaches for future social exertion games.