Exergames in motor skill learning

Exergaming, by joining physical activity with Natural User Interfaces and Gesture Recognition technology, addresses the fundamental questions of perception and phenomenology in a digital context, with awareness that embodied actions within a digital media interface are "fluid and functional crossings between virtual and physical realms." (Hansen 2006) The potential of computer games in improving learning and even leading to the enhancement of motor skills is documented in the literature, but, at present, the exergames are not considered natively as tools oriented to teaching movement or to rehabilitation. There are studies that have used in this field products originally aimed at the gaming market, but are not diffused softwares designed specifically for educational or rehabilitative use. This prevents a comprehensive assessment of cognitive and educational implications of exeergames, and addresses researchers to develop exergames specially designed for the teaching of physical education and rehabilitation, in order to provide a flexible tool to trainers and teachers.