Designing Augmented Sports: Merging Physical Sports and Virtual World Game Concept

It is important to encourage people to play sports and physical activities to keep their own health and well-being. However, not many people can keep playing sports regularly. In addition, people in today tend to become physically inactive. Thus, a novel way to motivate people to become physically active, by playing sports, is desired. Augmented sports are novel sports that integrates concepts of computer games into existing physical sports. Physical sports are played in our physical, real world. Thus, physical law limits the methods. On the other hand, such methods for computer games are limitless. Augmented sports are novel sports that integrates various methods to fill or reduce the unwanted gap between humans, to make sports enjoyable regardless of their physical skill or conditions. It will contribute every sports player to feel fun and enjoyment more, that should also lead to motivate people to play sports more. In this paper, detail concept of augmented sports is described. Then, we developed an augmented dodgeball, a proof-of-concept of augmented sports. The detail of the system is also described.