The Social Maze: A collaborative game to motivate MS patients for upper limb training

Abstract

Serious gaming is often used in the context of rehabilitation to increase the motivation of the patient to continue the rehabilitation program for a longer period. We investigate serious gaming in the context of rehabilitation programs for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Force feedback in combination with a virtual environment is used to establish a training environment supporting basic exercises and more advanced training games for the upper limb, in order to provide patients with an individual training program according to their capabilities. Based on our positive experiences with the use of individual games in this context, we explore “Social Gaming”. More specifically, we designed and developed a “Social Maze”, allowing patients to train together and to interact with the therapist. In this paper we clarify the game concept, setup and context in which the game is used, and report about the player experiences of patients and therapist.