Exergames revisited: A narrative review and classification framework for application-specific design

Exergames, defined as digital games requiring physical movement, represent an emerging intersection of human-computer interaction and health behaviour. Although research reports physical, cognitive, and psychosocial benefits, findings remain inconsistent across studies, partly due to heterogeneity of technologies and game designs in the absence of a unified classification framework. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence and introduces a multidimensional classification framework. The framework differentiates seven dimensions spanning technology (analogue-digital, console-mobile, Extended Reality, non-Extended Reality), physical engagement (partial-full body, movement-light-exercise-focused), and game design (single-multiplayer, bundled-single-focused). Mapping these dimensions to outcomes and user groups clarifies divergent findings and supports tailored intervention design. Additionally, current analysis tools for evaluating Exergames are being presented. Future research should prioritize systematic comparisons, stronger methodological rigor, and long-term evaluation, while leveraging advances in adaptive technologies and extended reality. Overall, Exergames should be understood not as a single intervention but as a spectrum of behaviour-change tools whose effectiveness depends on interaction design and user characteristics.