Quest Time with Daring the Dog: An exergame for children with cerebral Palsy

Overview

Between March 2013 and June 2014, I undertook my Master’s thesis at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), codesigning an exergame for children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) in partnership with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA). This work later formed the basis for an academic paper published in 2017 through the University of Sydney. The project focused on creating a human-centred solution that supported the development of motor and social skills for children aged four to six years old, a group underserved by existing rehabilitation and educational resources.

Problem

Cerebral Palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood in Australia. Children with CP often face challenges in motor development and social interaction, which can lead to isolation. Research and stakeholder interviews revealed three key insights:

• Daily occurrences: Barriers in communication, attention, and mobility affect everyday participation.
• Isolation: Children with CP may lack opportunities to play and interact with peers, limiting social development.
• Caretaker involvement: Parents and carers play a vital role in supporting learning and must be part of any intervention.

The design challenge was to codesign a game that not only improved motor skill rehabilitation but also supported social development and inclusiveness.

Process

• Conducted design thinking workshops with UTS and CPA to frame the problem around social isolation and skill development.
• Ran co-design sessions with children, families, and specialists (psychologists and physiotherapists) to inform the narrative, mechanics, and design.
• Applied the CALSIUM Framework (Creativity, Activities, Learnability, Storylines, Interactivity, Usability, Multimodality) to structure game ideation and design.
• Developed an exergame narrative featuring Daring the Dog, an animated character with short legs whose courage helps children learn cooperation, communication, and friendship.
• Prototyped gameplay using Microsoft Kinect, where children engaged in call-and-response social interactions and motor-skill exercises with on-screen animations.

Outcome

• Designed an exergame that integrated social skill-building (friendship, cooperative play, inclusiveness) with motor skill practice (hand–eye coordination, equal use of both hands).
• Early testing with one six-year-old child with CP demonstrated the feasibility of the approach but also highlighted the importance of family support in gameplay.
• The study contributed to understanding how co-design with children, carers, and specialists can lead to more inclusive learning technologies.
• Limitations included the small test sample and the need for further research with a broader spectrum of disability levels.

Acknowledgements

This project would not have been possible without the support and collaboration of:

• Cerebral Palsy Alliance and its participating children, families, and staff
• Robyn Cummins for her contributions throughout the project
• University of Technology Sydney: Dr Joanne Jakovich, Dr Jochen Schweitzer, Dr Wayne Brookes, Dr Bert Bongers
• University of Sydney: Dr Naseem Ahmadpour