Augmented Reality based Game to promote Healthy Food Habits

Abstract

Unhealthy eating habits pose a problem and are affecting the lives of adolescents in Oman. It is well-established that persuasive technology use has a long-term effect on behaviour. This paper is about the design and implementation of augmented reality (AR) cooking game meant to promote healthy eating habits to young people in Oman. The player is provided with a game experience while deciding on recipes and ingredients. The game is meant to be a mix of education and entertainment. Moreover, the application is mobile-based and offers the player some relevant health information about the dishes with an appropriate scores upon finishing the game. The application has a 3D kitchen environment that is projected onto a surface when the camera detects the image target. The game consists of several menu screens with multiple game modes, designed using a variety of software including Unity, 3ds max, AR unity packages, and Vuforia. The findings show that video games have a strong impact on habits and everyday lives, and a large percentage of the target age group plays games daily. The findings also show that players value a stable game that has both fast and slow-paced elements and of view that the use of AR makes games more interesting. Testing was done with the client along with potential users, and the feedback suggests that the requirements and aims of the project were met. The final product demonstrates a fast-paced entertaining game can shift the player’s perspective depending on the educational content of the game.