JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Immersive virtual reality (VR) exergames may support older adults’ physical and cognitive engagement, yet evidence on usability and user experience in real-world community settings remains limited.

Objective:

This multi-method study examines the usability and game experience of Virtual Gym, an immersive VR exergame suite for older adults, and explores participants’ perspectives on benefits, barriers, and design improvements.

Methods:

23 older adults participated in supervised Virtual Gym sessions across three community sites in Alberta, Canada. Usability was assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS), and game experience was described using the Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) core and post-game modules. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted and thematically analyzed to capture details of participants’ game experience

Results:

Usability was overall marginal and varied across sites, with mean SUS scores ranging from 56.11 (14.31) to 81.07 (18.53), and an overall mean of 67.50 (17.63). GEQ findings suggested a largely positive and low-burden experience, characterized by competence and engagement and minimal post-session discomfort. Qualitative themes indicated that participants experienced initial learnability challenges that improved with practice, valued perceived cognitive and functional benefits (e.g., attention, hand–eye coordination), and emphasized the importance of social interaction and contextual facilitation during gameplay. Key barriers included technical issues and limited access to such sessions outside supervised settings.

Conclusions:

Virtual Gym was acceptable and positively experienced in community delivery. Future iterations should prioritize technology maturity to ease the learning curve and minimize gameplay challenges; clearer onboarding and game protocols, to improve the overall consistency of user experience across sessions; broader accessibility to support participation among users with diverse abilities and needs, and additional features, including continuous feedback, adaptive difficulty and enhanced social participation, to sustain long-term engagement.