MeMaPads: Enhancing children's well-being through a physically interactive memory and math games

Abstract

Obesity has recently become an epidemic that endangers the well-being of all the modern societies, especially the young generations. The lack of physical activity is considered as one major reason that contributes to such culprit. Exergames or Serious games have emerged as promising tools that can help in the fight against obesity because it promotes physical activity through playing. In this paper, we present an exergaming system that not only does it promote exercising through playing, but also promotes learning simultaneously. MeMaPads consists of a number of sensory mounted pads used to interact with two software games that are specially developed to educate, entertain, and encourage physical exercising. Evaluations conducted with a number of participants have shown that MeMaPads might be helpful in both fighting obesity and enhancing the cognitive development of the children.