Activities must accommodate different physical abilities and fitness levels.
Multiple participation roles should exist beyond throwing, catching, or running.
Exercises should allow adjustable intensity and difficulty.
Social Accessibility
The game should minimize situations where students feel exposed or judged.
Collaborative mechanics should ensure every student can contribute meaningfully.
Group structures should avoid exclusion and fixed hierarchies.
Cognitive Accessibility
Rules and objectives should be easy to understand.
Instructions should be visual, verbal, and simple.
Activities should allow flexibility for different learning speeds.
Emotional Accessibility
The environment should reduce performance pressure and fear of failure.
Positive reinforcement and shared success should be emphasized.
Students should feel psychologically safe participating.
Teacher Accessibility
The system should be adaptable to different school contexts and resources. Preparation time should remain low. Materials should be intuitive and easy to implement in large groups.
Potential Barriers
Student-Related Barriers
Fear of embarrassment or failure
Existing negative experiences with sports
Social anxiety or low self-confidence
Physical disabilities or varying motor skill levels
Teacher-Related Barriers
Limited preparation time
Large class sizes
Lack of training in inclusive PE methods
Resistance to changing traditional PE structures
School-Related Barriers
Limited budget for materials or training
Fixed curricula and time constraints
Limited gym space or equipment availability
Social & Cultural Barriers
Strong focus on competition in sports culture
Stereotypes about athletic ability
Peer pressure and social comparison among students
Technical / Product Barriers
Overly complicated game rules
Lack of adaptability for different age groups
Insufficient guidance or onboarding for teachers
System Map
For the system map I identified the main stakeholders and their relationships. I then put my notes and findings into ChatGPT to create an image that shows how they are related in a graphic way.
I started with the value proposition canvas for the main user group (the students). Most of it was easy to fill out because I had already done research on it previously. I identified teachers a secondary user group. While filling it out, I noticed that some of the aspects, especially the jobs to be done, were very closely related.
Based on those canvases I formulated the following business idea:
Physical education classes are meant to encourage movement, teamwork, and confidence, yet for many students they are associated with pressure, exclusion, and comparison. A German study from 2022 found that 39% of students do not enjoy PE classes, which can contribute to a long-term aversion toward sports and physical activity. This is especially concerning because sports and movement are closely linked to psychological well-being, self-esteem, and social development.
The idea behind this project is to rethink how movement is experienced in schools by creating a collaborative game concept specifically designed for PE classes. Instead of focusing on competition and individual athletic performance, the game encourages students to work together toward a shared goal. The activities rely on decentralized action and a broad range of abilities, meaning that participation does not depend only on traditional sports skills such as throwing, catching, or speed.
The concept is designed for school environments with diverse groups of students and aims to create situations in which everyone can contribute in different ways. By shifting the focus from performance to collaboration, the game can help reduce feelings of exclusion while making movement more enjoyable and accessible. Teachers also benefit from a structure that is easy to prepare, adaptable to large groups, and flexible enough for different ages and ability levels.
The long-term goal is to create more positive experiences with movement during school years and help students build confidence, social skills, and a healthier relationship with sports. Beyond the classroom, the project could contribute to a more inclusive understanding of physical education where participation and teamwork become more important than competition alone.
As a product, the concept could be offered to schools and educational institutions through physical or digital game kits, ready-to-use lesson plans, and a platform with adaptable activities for PE teachers. Additional revenue streams could include teacher workshops, subscriptions for new game content, or partnerships with schools and educational organizations.
„Your Master Thesis should be the most ambitious thing you ever did.” This sentence, written on a presentation slide of our Design and Research course with Birgit made me think. It made so much sense to me, but at the same time it shifted my view on the Masters thesis. It’s not only something that I have to do, but also something that should feel in a way meaningful to me. It also made me rethink the topic I chose for last semester. I think the sentence wouldn’t apply to that – it doesn’t feel big enough. It would not be the most ambitious and meaningful thing I ever did. It doesn’t seem important enough to me.
So what now? What would feel important enough? As always when I need to sort my thoughts, I pulled out a notebook (I upgraded from random sheets of paper to something more durable) and started writing everything that would interest me as a topic on a mindmap and connected aspects that I thought would match. I wrote topics as well as things that make me worried, but also possible media I would specifically like to design as an outcome of the process. I will later take a picture of the notebook pages and upload them to this post.
The outcome of my brainstorming session was the following:
Idea 1: Investigate how the use of AI will affect human coexistence. Then think about how the situation could be improved by design. Then think about how to raise awareness about the effects of AI and what people could do to avoid possible negative consequences. How could this be conveyed? Possible outcome: interactive installation / exhibition either for adults or children / youths, that travels from school to school
Idea 2: How will AI affect the job market? Will paid work play a lesser role or even disappear entirely? How will the design sector in particular be affected? Research on the role of employment in building identity and creating meaningfulness. How could alternatives that fulfil the same purpose look like? What role can design play here?
I took notes in german since it’s easier that way for me.
After this first round of brainstorming I read some online articles on how to find a topic for a master thesis. Then I asked ChatGPT to give me 3 journal prompts to find a suitable topic. This is what it gave me as a first task:
1. Interest Mapping Journal (What really draws you in?)
Here’s how it works: For 1–2 weeks, keep a daily journal with three brief categories:
What sparked my curiosity today?
What irritated or annoyed me?
What did I think about longer than necessary?
Important: Don’t filter. Everything counts:
Interfaces
social situations
technologies
habits
physicality
work
learning
AI
public spaces
games
digital fatigue, etc.
Why this helps
Master’s thesis topics often don’t arise from “cool ideas,” but from:
recurring attention
unresolved tensions
personal obsessions
After a few days, you’ll start to see patterns:
recurring terms
specific contexts
the same emotions
similar problems
These often lead to promising research directions.
I documented the questions for five days in my notebook. I found that I’m annoyed either by people or the sounds they make, by the weather or trains, I’m apparently quite curious about gossip and people on the train and think a lot about what jacket to wear, my future and daily errands. While analysing this, I kind of got stuck on my curiosity for other people and their travel destinations. I sometimes wonder if I should just ask the people opposite of me in the 4-person seat where they are going and why, but I’m usually too shy or I fear I might annoy them. I once had a very nice conversation with a woman from Graz who lives close to Mannheim now. We even ended up exchanging numbers because she was looking for a new renter for her apartment in Graz.
I take the train home to Germany every few months and I’m usually quite bored during the 6h journey. I think it would be cool to ask the people next to me if they would be interested in a round of card games, but first, I never have any games with me and second of all they usually seem very busy on their laptops or wear headphones. Maybe it would be interesting to investigate if people are generally open to connecting with others on long train rides, e.g. while playing games, or if they prefer to just be by themselves. I also wonder how people could naturally be motivated to interact with each other without making it feel forced.
Thoughts on the journalling method
I was a bit sceptical about this method in the beginning, especially because I went home to my parents place this weekend and didn’t expect anything extraordinary interesting to happen during those days – even while writing things down I thought there would be nothing relevant as a research topic. I’m surprised that it actually helped me a bit. I’m not sure if I will stick with the connecting-people-on-trains thing, but I definitely think it could be interesting. I will continue this method for the upcoming week since I think there might be different results when I may days are more structured and when I spend more time at FH. Also continuing especially the curiosity part during our trip to WebExpo in Prag could bring some interesting findings.
I think I will have to postpone the other 2 journalling methods to another day, but I’m already curious about what new ideas they might bring me. For a start I don’t feel as lost anymore as I did on thursday, when I started writing this post.
For the sake of completeness I will include pictures of my notes at the end of this post.
Next steps:
Try out the other methods, hopefully find another interesting topic idea and start prototyping for some interactive approaches to connect travellers.
The paper introduces the concept of ViVo, a tool for instrument learning, that combines the already well-researched but until now separately used methods of vocalization and visualization. It has two modes: One that visualizes the real-time vocalizations of the user, transforming it into illuminations of the corresponding piano keys and a mode where the user can practise with visualizations of pre-recorded vocalizations.
In the introduction the author gives information about the technique of vocalizing, which is an important tool to learn instruments and improve the general sense of music and improvisation and composition skills. Its effectiveness can be attributed to the fact that vocalized melodies can be memorized better than instrumental melodies. Despite this, vocalization is not used in instrument learning environments to its full potential. Visualization, on the other hand, is broadly used in music education, guiding the learners through real-time instructions and feedback. ViVo aims to combine both learning methods to create a more effective and intuitive tool.
The tool consists of a microphone that’s being used to record the vocalizations, a processor and an electronic piano with illuminable keys. In another section there is more specific information on the used hardware.
The goals of ViVo are described as follows: portability, low material costs, effective real-time operation, pitch accuracy, pitch range and note onset/offset fidelity.
The author then describes the algorithms, that were used for ViVo: firstly, two pitch detection methods (YIN algorithm and an FFT-based heuristic approach) to extract pitch from vocal input. While standard interpolation techniques (like parabolic fitting) are already known, ViVo adapts them specifically for singing. Its modified method focuses on a typical vocal pitch range (100–1000 Hz), calculates the average energy within that range, and then scans for the first three consecutive frequency bins exceeding this average. It applies a parabola fit to these bins to estimate the fundamental frequency (f₀), optionally smoothing the result with a filter. These adjustments improve robustness to noise and reduce common errors, such as detecting the wrong octave when harmonics are stronger than the fundamental frequency.
To test if ViVo fulfils the previously set goals, it was being tested by playing a voices library through a speaker placed 70cm from the microphone to simulate the expected use conditions.
In the following sections the methods of pitch detection, range and note onset/ offset are described in more detail. After this the author gives an outlook on future work. Planned features are for example the extension of the detection system to recognize polyphonic melodies which allows to use recorded music instead of only relying on unison vocals. The use case will be extended to larger music education contexts such as classrooms. There will also be studies on how the tool can help to learn jazz improvisation. Another mentioned step is to develop the ViVo tool for other instruments such as guitar. Then the author illustrates how the tool could be used in live performances.
In the last part of the paper there is a section on ethical standards. The author declares that she used low-cost materials and open-source software that was funded by herself. She also indicates that there were no conflicts of interest and that all participation in the project was voluntary. This part is followed by the references.
I found the approach of combining vocalization and visualization as learning methods very interesting. The prototype shown on a picture seems a bit raw and unfinished, but I think has potential to be further developed. I wonder if the idea of this tool can also be applied to other instruments that do not have a visible scale, such as trumpet, saxophone or French horn. In my own experience of learning the flute, trumpet, French horn and guitar I never worked with visualization, but sometimes used vocalization with my French horn teacher, which I think is helpful to establish a feeling for pitch and intervals and makes it easier to hit the right notes. This is especially crucial for brass instrument players, since those instruments usually only have 3-4 keys, so the same key combinations are being used for various notes that have to be controlled through air pressure.
The paper itself was well structured, although I would have put some of the sections in a different orde. In my opinion it would make more sense to put the goals of the tool right after the introduction that describes the concept of the tool. Other than that I think it was easy to understand the idea and how ViVo works.
At the beginning of my research, I listed a podcast episode from the “So bin ich eben!” podcast by renowned psychologist, psychotherapist, and bestselling author Stefanie Stahl and psychologist and podcaster Lukas Klaschinski as a possible source. Since Stefanie Stahl has focused primarily on working with the inner child and building self-esteem and healthy relationships, it seemed very appropriate to me to include what she has to say on the subject.
In this episode, Stefanie Stahl and Lukas Klaschinski give tips on how to promote children’s self-esteem: not only for parents, but also for everyone else who deals with children on a daily basis. Although the episode is mainly told from the parents’ perspective, I think that much of it can also be applied to how teachers interact with children. In addition, I would like to conclude by exploring the extent to which the aspects mentioned can be incorporated into the game.
At the beginning of the episode, Stefanie once again emphasizes the importance of self-esteem for later life, describing it as the epicenter. She says it is a gift for life that adults can give to children.
The topic of the episode was inspired by an email from a listener: a mother describes how her son no longer wants to go to soccer practice because he is not as good as the other children and feels ashamed of his abilities. The mother asks for tips on how to encourage him and boost his self-esteem. Since this example is closely related to the topic of physical education, I wanted to mention it in this article.
At the beginning, the two psychologists explain that it is important to sometimes stick with something for longer in order to realize that things can change for the better and that you can achieve things. However, you shouldn’t force anything, as the child may later develop an aversion to the activity.
A concrete solution for the example situation is therefore to talk openly with the child and explain what you are concerned about (learning opportunity, seeing things through), validate the child’s feelings, and accept the child’s decision if they do not change their mind.
The following general tips are explained:
– Important: Love and secure attachment, empathy, recognizing the child’s needs -> Parents must have good access to their own feelings
– Presence: Children should not be sent to daycare in their first year of life if possible. Parents must convey security, be reliable; a repeated pattern of dashed hopes is not good for building secure attachment behavior
– Encourage the child, do not link love to expectations or performance
– Read the child’s signals, recognize and respect physical boundaries, do not overwhelm them with closeness -> Children are not at the mercy of adults; children must learn that they have the right to communicate their boundaries; adults must ensure that other adults respect their children’s boundaries
– Autonomy: the child must have the opportunity to assert their opinion sometimes, otherwise they will become conflict-averse later on and feel that there is no point in expressing their own opinions/needs at all -> if agreements are negotiated with the child, they are more likely to stick to them
– Autonomy -> Children learn that relationships can be actively shaped and are not something that must be endured, but that it is still important to find balance and set boundaries.
– Self-efficacy: Children should take on age-appropriate responsibilities, do things for themselves, and take on tasks. You have to trust children, because self-confidence is learned through the trust of others.
– Mistakes are okay and opportunities to learn. This way, children are not ashamed and develop a better tolerance for frustration.
– Encourage strengths and talents, reinforce a positive self-image, do not praise too much or pointlessly (i.e., for trivial things), because then the child will not feel taken seriously and credibility will be lacking -> so praise and recognize real strengths, focus on the process rather than the result, e.g., recognize perseverance.
– If a child is “always exceptional” because they are praised for everything, they feel that they always have to be exceptional.
– Know your own background and be self-reflective: what did I want (when I was little), how did I grow up, how did my parents influence me, and what does my child actually want? Your own issues should not be transferred to your child.
– Children need to have friends and feel like they belong.
– Be a positive role model: How do I talk about myself as a parent, how good am I at dealing with conflict, do I come across as confident, do I set good boundaries for myself, and do I stand up for my needs?
– Establish rituals to promote a positive self-image.
How can these tips be applied to physical education?
One aspect that is very important to me is that the focus should not be on the end result, i.e., the specific performance, but on the process and learning success. This also goes hand in hand with meaningful praise, i.e., not only students who perform well should be praised, but all students should receive praise for things they have done well, such as high perseverance or a high willingness to learn, or even social skills such as helpfulness. I think it would be useful to address this specifically in the game instructions for teachers, even though this knowledge should already be available to them due to their educational background. In my opinion, teachers also have a responsibility to be vigilant and recognize when a child’s physical boundaries are not being respected, and to intervene in an emergency and point this out to the children.Here is an exercise that I know from my work with young people: The children stand in two rows facing each other, a few meters apart. Then one row moves toward the other, and the children who remain standing have the task of saying “stop” when the other person gets too close to them. The distance that results is different for each child, but it is important for the children to recognize that personal space is different for everyone and must be respected. It also gives the children the opportunity to learn about their own personal space and to set boundaries in a protected environment. Another task for the teacher is to recognize when a child feels excluded and to ensure that they feel part of the group. This task can also be achieved through the game by promoting teamwork and togetherness.
I have already discussed promoting the individual strengths of each student at length in previous posts, so I don’t want to go into this aspect in greater depth here.
Students should be given the opportunity to actively participate in the design and implementation of the game. This gives them the feeling that their opinion is important and their needs are being seen. It also teaches them to do things on their own and take responsibility, which gives them a sense of self-efficacy.
Another particularly important aspect of physical education is fostering a positive culture of error. Mistakes should be allowed and given to children as learning opportunities. If an exercise is not yet being performed correctly, children should not feel that they are not good enough, but should reflect on how they can use the mistake to identify ways to improve their technique.
Finally, it occurred to me to incorporate small rituals at the beginning or end of the lesson. Ideally, these would fit seamlessly into the game concept or storyline, so that the rituals seem more natural and less imposed from outside. For example, the students could sit in a circle or in small groups and reflect on what they are particularly looking forward to today, even if it’s just small things, or what they did well today and where they have improved. I also think it would be helpful if each child said something about their neighbor that they are good at or did well today. This gives the children external validation and confirms their positive self-image. It also trains the children to see and appreciate individual strengths in others and challenges them to engage with other children with whom they might not otherwise have much to do and to perceive them in their entirety.
Sources
Stahl, Stefanie, Klaschinski, Lukas: So bin ich eben! Stefanie Stahls Psychologie-Podcast für alle “Normalgestörten”. 5 psychologische Tipps, die das Selbstwertgefühl von Kindern fördern. URL: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4AHoVP7Uplw2AJ8EbH9JLq?si=55257233ed6a4d4a, published on may 13th 2025 on Spotify
For my next blog post, I wanted to find out which games already combine analog and digital elements. It seemed obvious to me to search for the term “hybrid games,” but all I found were digital games that are a mixture of several game genres or a mixture of story and game. So I asked Gemini what games that are a mix of analog and digital are called, and came across the term “phygital games.”
Phygital Games
During a Google search on this topic, I came across Phygital Games of the Future, an event featuring competitions in esports and real sports. In the sport of phygital basketball, players first compete against each other on a digital basketball court in a video game and then, after a 5-minute break, play against each other on a real basketball court. I found the concept quite interesting, but I had hoped that digital and analog would happen more simultaneously and that the digital features would take the analog game to the next level – which I assumed due to quite misleading images on the website [1]. Unfortunately, this is not the case with this event, as the two worlds are separated from each other. Since this was the only approach I found to Phygital Games, I ended my research on the topic at this point and focused on the use of digital media in physical education.
1) Image on the Phygital Games of the Future Website
Video games in physical education
This led me to an article about a university project at the Ludwigsburg University of Education in which students from various teaching disciplines worked with a primary school class at Rosensteinschule. The aim of the project was to transfer well-known video games into the real world and use them in physical education. On various project days, the games Super Mario, Pacman, SuperTuxCart, Angry Birds, Temple Run, Moorhuhn, and Townsmen were brought to life. The selection criteria for the games were their level of popularity, so that already familiar game principles could be built upon, their popularity among schoolchildren and students, as well as their design and educational potential and youth media protection requirements.
The concept was developed as follows: After selecting a suitable game, it was analyzed in terms of its underlying storyline, intention, basic activities, strategy, and communication. The use of media was then designed and planned to determine the extent to which children could be given the opportunity for creative participation and independent activity.
Use of media
To integrate digital games into the lessons, one or more digital devices were used depending on the game, including tablets, projectors, green screens, GoPro, Nintendo Labo, and Makey Makey.
For the Super Mario game, for example, a tablet was used as a panel to play sounds from the game. The children had to perform a specific movement depending on the sound and had to recognize the sounds from the game to do so.
Some games used a buzzer or controller built with Makey Makey. In most cases, the game itself or a live broadcast from the current player’s GoPro was also projected onto the gym wall using a projector.
2) Building a buzzer with Makey Makey
A green screen enabled immersion in the jungle world of the game Temple Run. Each student’s run was recorded and could be watched live by the other students or analyzed afterwards by the student themselves. In this game, there was a scene in which the students had to swing on a trapeze (= vine) through a fire. A still image of this scene was later printed out as a photo so that the students could take it home with them. However, the students observed that the pupils were bothered by the fact that the trapeze was visible in the photo – they had high expectations for a realistic representation of the situation. During the design phase, the students considered this circumstance to be negligible, which shows how different the expectations of pupils and students can be. [2]
3) Jungle world in Temple Run
Advantages of digitally supported physical education
The use of digital games in physical education opens up opportunities for immersion and involvement. They create “access to children’s inner perception (…) through the forms of expression of movement, play, storytelling, and imagination in a kind of symbolic transfer (…) of interpersonal communication” (Marquardt, Anja: Gaming im Sportunterricht, p. 107. Translated to english with DeepL Translator). Students slip into new roles, embody avatars, and identify with their character traits and strengths. This creates a new perspective that goes hand in hand with newly gained self-confidence, a strong urge to move, and new body movements. It can also help students find their identity and promote self-efficacy. For example, students observed that a rather shy student suddenly dared to climb over a high obstacle.
Digital games also make it easier to use neglected or feared sports equipment such as the trapeze or the vaulting horse. Creative reinterpretations of the equipment as a “mountain,” “coin,” or obstacle alienate the equipment and can thus alleviate students’ fears. [2]
4) Student climbing over an obstacle
Conclusion
I found this article particularly helpful as inspiration for the use of media, but I also enjoyed seeing that the concept was well received by the students and was able to break old patterns. I also found the principle of role-playing and the associated benefits very convincing. I wonder why I didn’t come across the article sooner.
For my own concept, I could well imagine incorporating numerous sports equipment items as artifacts for building the world or the playing field, in addition to digital media, and offering students the opportunity to contribute creatively to the design of the world. Collaboration with other subjects such as art or crafts/creative design would also be conceivable. For example, students could design certain materials they need, such as the thief or food cards in the “Who did it?” game, themselves, thus giving them a more personal connection to the game.
5) Thief cards in “Who did it?” (German: Wer war’s?)
In order to better understand the interactions that take place in the game and in class, I examined interaction on a theoretical level and initially focused my research primarily on social interaction. Apart from the findings summarized below, I also looked at the principle of re-enactment or scenic understanding by Alfred Lorenzer and the associated transference and countertransference. However, due to its lack of relevance to the topic of physical education, I will refrain from elaborating on my findings in this blog article.
Forms of interaction
“Interaction (from Latin inter ‘between’ and actio ‘activity’, ‘action’) refers to the mutual influence of actors or systemsSocial interaction.” (Wikipedia: Interaktion. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interaktion, last opened 07.02.2026)
Social Interaction
“Social interaction refers to processes of mutual influence, e.g., through communication and social reciprocal exchange relationships between individuals and social groups (social influence), as well as the resulting change in, for example, behaviors and attitudes (attitude change).” (Wikipedia: Interaktion. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soziale_Interaktion, last opened 07.02.2026)
The term communication is sometimes used as a synonym for social interaction, but communication can also be one-sided, i.e., only from the sender to the receiver, whereas interaction always involves both parties. It therefore involves a response from the receiver to the content sent or parts thereof. Interaction can therefore be described as a symmetrical process and communication as either a symmetrical or asymmetrical process. [1]
Theme-centered interaction according to Ruth Cohn
Thematic-centered interaction (TCI) is a model for working in groups that was developed in the mid-1950s by American psychoanalyst and psychologist Ruth Cohn and therapists Norman Liberman, Yitzchak Zieman, and other representatives of humanistic psychology. Its goal is to promote social learning, personal development, and progress in the subject area [2]. It is used in the fields of education, leadership, social work, counseling, and social engagement. [3]
“TCI was developed against the theoretical backdrop of psychoanalysis, group therapy, and humanistic psychology, and takes into account experiences from Gestalt therapy and group dynamics.” (Wikipedia: Themenzentrierte Interaktion. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Themenzentrierte_Interaktion, last opened 08.02.2026)
According to theme-centered interaction, there are four factors that influence interaction: the individuals (I), their relationships (we), the shared task (it), and the environment (globe). For successful interaction, it is essential that these factors are in balance. [3]
TCI is also based on a humanistic worldview that can be formulated in three axioms:
“1. Human beings are psycho-biological entities. They are also part of the universe. They are therefore both autonomous and interdependent. The more aware individuals are of their interdependence with everyone and everything, the greater their autonomy.
2. Respect is due to all living things and their becoming (and passing away). Respect for growth requires evaluative decisions. The humane is valuable, the inhuman threatens value.
3. Free decision-making takes place within conditioning internal and external boundaries; expansion of these boundaries is possible.”
Another key aspect of theme-centered interaction is that there is a theme that sets the goal for the group and is formulated in such a way that all group members can identify with it. The group leader has a moderating role, but is also a participant, so that cooperation on an equal footing can develop. [3]
The two postulates of TCI:
“1. The chairperson postulate: Lead yourself—become aware of your inner and outer reality, use your senses, make decisions, and take responsibility.
2. The disturbance postulate: Disturbances take precedence – obstacles, concerns, and conflicts require attention and should be taken seriously and dealt with so that the group remains capable of working and learning.”
Furthermore, the following rules are formulated in TCI:
1. Represent yourself in your statements; speak using “I” rather than ‘we’ or “one.” 2. When you ask a question, explain why you are asking and what your question means to you. Express yourself and avoid interviewing. 3. Be authentic and selective in your communications! 4. Refrain from interpreting others. Instead, express your personal reactions. 5. Be cautious with generalizations. 6. When you say something about another person, also say what it means to you. 7. Side conversations take precedence. They are disruptive and usually important. 8. Only one person at a time, please!
Interaction serves to socialize individuals and plays a major role in psychosocial development. In social situations, skills such as role distance, empathy, tolerance of ambiguity, and identity representation can be acquired. In an educational context, a distinction is made between actions among peers and interaction between children and adults. Adults should create opportunities for children to interact. [1]
Another popular board game is “Who Was It?”, in which players must search a castle for a magical ring that has been stolen by one of the castle’s inhabitants. Only the magical ring can save the kingdom from the evil wizard, who will reach the castle at 6 p.m. With the help of an interactive treasure chest, which also lets time run down and puts the players under pressure, the animals can be questioned as witnesses. Each animal demands a specific type of food that the players must find in the castle. Once they have found the food, they can give it to the animal, which then provides a clue in return, such as: “The thief is wearing black shoes.” In this way, the castle inhabitants who are not suspects can gradually be eliminated.
The game is made more challenging by a ghost that moves from room to room and chases the players back to the children’s bedroom, where they must start over, as well as by trapdoors, failed magic spells, and a thieving raven that steals food.
If the thief is caught before time runs out, the players can open the thief’s chest and the kingdom is saved.
Why is “Who Was It?” so well suited for physical education classes?
It requires a high level of cooperation and communication: players must coordinate with one another about which animals have already been questioned, in which rooms keys or food are hidden, and who can be ruled out as the thief. In addition, players do not compete against each other but work together toward a common goal: saving the kingdom. The time frame is particularly suitable for PE lessons, as the length of the game can be adjusted individually. The number of castle inhabitants and animals can also be adapted. In the original game, there are three different difficulty levels, which can be selected according to the students’ age and transferred to the real-life version of the game.
How the game could be adapted for physical education:
The animals or rooms of the castle are distributed across different stations in the gym or on the sports field. Simply running back and forth between the stations already gets the students moving. To perform actions such as searching, feeding, or asking, physical exercises must be completed. These could be detected by a Kinect sensor, which would then trigger the corresponding action in the interface. For this, each station would need a sensor and a device that enables interaction and provides audio feedback. At a central station, the food items are stored and the clues about the thief are collected.
The Chaos Game is popular in youth work in German-speaking countries because it combines elements such as movement, team spirit, and creativity.
How the game works: The players are divided into several groups of 4-5 people. At the beginning of the game, they have the task of making a game piece from at least 3 objects they have found. Once this is on the playing field, they can roll the dice. The numbers 1 to 40 are hidden on small stickers in a predefined area (alternatively, depending on the desired duration of the game, the numbers 1 to 30 or 1 to 50 can also be hidden. The level of difficulty can be influenced by the choice of hiding places). There are 40 squares on the game board. The players have the task of finding the number that is on their current square. Once they have found the number, they must tell the jury where it is hidden. This statement is checked against a list of hiding places. If the statement is correct, the players are given a task that they must complete in order to be allowed to roll the dice again. These tasks are usually creative tasks, such as performing a short play, building a human pyramid, writing a poem on a specific topic, or drawing a portrait of the jury. The tasks could be modified in physical education classes so that they mainly promote physical activity. For example, students could be asked to fetch five orange objects from the other end of the sports field, perform a choreographed dance, or do a handstand. They could also be sent to stations where they have to practice on the high bar or do the long jump, for example.
The group that reaches the goal first wins.
This approach could very easily be implemented in a similar way, but here too the question arises as to how the exercises could be monitored.
Gamification is the transfer of game-like elements and processes to non-game contexts with the aim of changing behavior and increasing motivation among users.
Classic, highly performance-oriented games in physical education, such as dodgeball or Brennball, could be replaced by decentralized group games. In traditional games of this kind, individual students are often the center of attention for the entire class, which can lead to embarrassment and feelings of shame. Games in which many actions take place simultaneously and attention is distributed among several groups are more suitable. This reduces the focus on the individual and promotes a more relaxed, inclusive playing situation.
Approach 1: A sports game
How can athletic performance be integrated into a game? Can principles from well-known board games be transferred to real life? Which games are particularly suitable for physical education because they promote physical activity?
Settlers of Catan:
About Settlers of Catan:
Settlers of Catan is one of the most popular board games from the 1990s and was developed by the german game designer Klaus Teubner.
“Klaus Teuber (1952–2023) was one of the most successful game designers in the world. His many award-winning games have thrilled millions of people around the globe. His most successful game was first released in 1995: CATAN – The Game, which won the Game of the Year award in the same year. With this game, he shaped the genre of “German board games.” The game has now been translated into over 40 languages and is sold in around 70 countries.”
Settlers of Catan could be brought to the sports field. The basic principle is that the students are divided into groups and play against each other. The aim of the game is to build a city/settlement. By performing athletic tasks/exercises, the students can acquire raw materials (e.g., high jump to win ore) and exchange them for buildings or infrastructure elements at the building authority. Each building is worth a certain number of victory points, which are added up at the end of the game. There could also be a resource station where quiz questions about sports are asked, which could be used to educate students about exercise and health, for example.
The following questions arise when implementing the game in physical education classes:
What could the stations look like? There is only one teacher, which means that the stations cannot be supervised in person. How can the stations be implemented digitally so that all important functions are fulfilled?
What tasks do the raw material stations need to fulfill? Explain the rules and scoring system, act as referee, count points, distribute raw materials. To do this, the raw material cards must be digitized. Each group must have an “account” where the number of raw materials acquired is stored. This account must be readable at the building authority.
Is there a combat zone? The raw materials must be transported through a combat zone where students can be attacked by students from opposing teams. A successful attack results in a confrontation. The winner receives/keeps the raw materials.
What equipment will be used? What analog elements might there be?
Is there an overview map that can be shown using a projector? This would allow each group to position themselves strategically on the playing field at the start. This could be near certain resource stations, for example.
What is the best way to divide the groups? Randomly or according to performance (mixed teams)?
What exercises can be implemented as stations? The stations should ideally be spread across the sports field. Tasks that can be performed alone are suitable, such as high jump, long jump, long throw, sprinting, somersaults, etc.
How can the performance of the exercises be monitored?
Why is Settlers of Catan suitable for sports education?
Settlers of Catan encourages individual action and interaction among students. They must communicate with each other, reach agreements, and find solutions together, rather than competing solely in direct performance comparisons. This strengthens social skills and reduces social pressure. Many actions take place simultaneously. There is no permanent focus on individual players, as is often the case in classic competitive games. This makes weaker or insecure students feel more confident, which reduces feelings of shame and increases their willingness to participate. Collecting resources, achieving intermediate goals, and visible progress ensure a high level of intrinsic motivation. In physical education, movement tasks can be linked to these game mechanics so that physical activity is experienced not as a performance requirement but as part of a meaningful, playful overall concept.
