Four Seasons

Cognitive-motor training game for fall prevention

Four Seasons is an exergame for the Dividat Senso Plate. It improves the physical and cognitive abilities and especially trains functions used for gait stability in older adults with an impaired mobility. With the help of sensors positioned in the plate, motion and forces are recorded and used for training. The players have to react to the game on the screen and translate their reaction to the correct movement of the body. Furthermore, the game input can be monitored and used for automatic adjustment of the difficulty in the game or recorded for the evaluation by the physician.

The Dividat Senso Plate is a product of Dividat GmbH, a developer of evidence based training concepts for improvement of mobility in older adults for prevention and rehabilitation. Since exergames are proven to be beneficial for motivation, the client wanted to expand their training program with a more playful approach. To not alienate the target group, a natural setting in the swiss alps was chosen and we used a simple game mechanic:

The game screen is divided in four same sized parts. Every part represents one season of the year. There are objects moving through those seasons. Depending on if the object fits the season (e.g. skier fits winter), the players have to avoid stepping on the corresponding part of the Senso Plate or step on it, when it doesn’t fit. The longer the play time, the faster the objects move.

Four Seasons has a direct connection to the tracking and administrative system Dividat Evidence, where training progress can be monitored, recorded and analyzed. It was developed for the client’s web interface to integrate neatly with their other games and allow for a streamlined deployment.

The development of Four Seasons is finished and the game can be played at several physiotherapy places and nursing homes in Switzerland.