Game Description

Fitness solitaire is designed with the identical objective to the original Solitaire game, whereby players must build up by corresponding suits from Ace to King for each of the four foundations cells. Using a standard 52-card deck, seven piles are created and displayed from left to right on the screen. Each pile contains one card more than the previous, with each pile beginning with an upturned card and the remaining cards behind remained downturned. The remaining cards form a facedown stack at the top left side of the screen. Each upturned card within a pile can be repositioned to another pile of cards as an individual card or group of cards, on the basis of their highest card and that the piles are built down by alternate black and red colours. As a result, the outcome of the game results in a loss if the player is unable to move any cards to progress further or continue building the foundations.

However, Solitaire Fitness is also designed to improve the elderly player’s cognitive abilities and encouraging them to exercise by showcasing the result and reward of their exercise through unique gameplay mechanics. The game allows players to input the number of steps they have taken from the day before playing (refer to Figure 2 ). The higher the number of steps the player inputs, the more exclusive abilities the game unlocks, which assist the player in different ways to progress through the game, and to improve their chances to win.

As seen in Figure 3 , the player is prompted with a couple of additional elements within the usual solitaire game layout. A slider (left) displays the number of steps available to the player, shortcuts usable by the player of the abilities available to them (right) and a large ‘Use my steps’ button (bottom) which displays a window of the abilities usable in detail ( Figure 4 ).

With these abilities unlocked (based on the number of steps inputted), players can use these abilities, each costing a particular number of the players steps inputted.

Each ability is designed as an advanced additional feature, granting players the opportunity to gain and utilise their reward from exercising as ‘abilities’, frequently determined within games as a benefit to assist in gameplay. With a one-week collection of steps available to their use, a multitude of abilities can be used at the players’ discretion to progress in the game.

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