Where is the Education in P.E for Exergaming?

Active Video Gaming uses in Physical Education

I've just spotted a new comment on a Gamercize YouTube video that opens a critisim of exergaming that a lot of active games struggle to answer - where's the education component? The overriding answer to this question is there is none, as the game is just a tool for the PE teacher to use. However - some games give the teacher more to work with.

Here's the video that was commented on:



The comment says "I like the overall idea and objective of this, but how are kids working on fundamental movement skills and such. Sure this is getting heart rates up, but not actually teaching them any skills or ways to stay active throughout their lives."

Yes, Gamercize does raise HR to moderate to vigorous levels, so that's a tick in the box for physical activity, but what of  the skill component? True, Gamercize is not teaching kids how to catch, but we're looking at more advanced kids - the ones that are engaged by video games.

Gamercize in this implementation is being used to teach

• Sport strategy - seeing the big picture of team interaction and how tactics can be employed
• Team play - co-operation and communication between teams of 2 to achieve a sports objective
• Physiology - which muscles are working and how energy is being created for them 

I'm not a PE teacher, so that is just first impression view and I'm sure those more experience in PE will be able to find different modes of implementation that lever the power of engagement into video games to reach lesson objectives!

As for the second part of the question above, kids are like wind-up toys - just give them the opportunity to get moving and give them a start and they'll keep on moving :)

Sphere: Related Content

---

Gamercize Sponsors F1 in Schools

Technology in Schools Produces Results!

Gamercize is getting involved in The Formula One Technology Challenge (http://www.f1inschools.com) for schools is a big way with sponsorship of promising schools. The mix of technology and education is a mainstay of Gamercize principles therefore this relationship fits well with the company goals.

Fifteen counties are taking part in the 2011 Championship Season, including USA, UK, Australia, UAE, Singapore and Malaysia. Once again this global appeal fits well with the Gamercize global brand and shows unity through technology for many different cultures.

The format of the Season is a number of regional finals for schools to enter teams not only designing and building an F1 Race Car model, but also the teams of children ages from 9-19 are responsible for creating a business plan, managing budgets and meeting costs. After the regional finals the top teams compete in National finals (see http://www.f1inschools.com/page--global-national-final-dates.html) to reach the goal of the global final. This format truly fits in with Gamercize's motto "Reach The Next Level".

Gamercize wishes the best of luck to all the schools and teams involved, and looks forward to the first National final, which in the UK on March 11-12.

Sphere: Related Content

---

Active Gaming for the Girls

London's Girls get Exergaming!

When you think about Active Gaming (AG) you may be thinking about images of Wii Bowling in retirement accommodations, or maybe mom’s keeping up with a Jillian Micheal's fitness regime after the kids have left for school. Another perception you may have comes from the “gaming” aspect of AG, which gives the impression that it’s more of a “boy’s” activity. In my experience with my company Gamercize, I’ve found this is far from the case. Active Gaming is much more than this, and has a much wider appeal, global appeal in fact.

My company, Gamercize, works with many different types of active gaming users, including teachers and schools, and providers products and services to help every person be more active by changing sedentary screen time into active screen time.

One service we provide is a PE Teacher familiarization and training day, to bring PE and technology together, almost like a hands-on “Show and Tell”. These days are a great way to give us a chance to test out the reactions to different types of games, reaching out to new demographics, and acquire useful feedback from students. One event that appeared to offer different challenges was for a girl’s school. We took along a good selection of games, finding the Xbox 360 offered more variety than the PlayStation 3, that has predominately shooting or racing games. The fun part about the equipment we used was any game would work, the active part of the active gaming being to keep stepping to play.

The XBox 360 video game console supports 4 players, although most readily available and popular games available for them support two players per console. There are options for up to 16 players “linked” and countless social interactions available with online play. The cost per station is far more attractive for multiple players per console and the offline play mode makes it much easier for the teacher to be in control of the session without outside influence.

In the UK the adherence for girls in PE is generally lower than for boys, especially at the age range we had at this school, the teens. Some problems have been recognised and addressed, for example not mandating gym skirts and allowing sweat pants or shorts not appropriate for PE wear, but this group remains the most difficult to keep engaged in class. It’s difficult for teachers to keep to curriculum and progress the children if they only sporadically attend class; I was given the job of working out how to engage them more.

The easiest games to engage boys with are sports games, would the same be true for girls? Sports worked well, but it was clear the girls wanted more variety, so to engage the whole class we had to do a lot more. After changing games on the consoles a couple of times we settled into three different genres on all three consoles. Sports was still popular, fantasy racing won out over pure racing simulation and the last genre turned out best; fantasy adventure. This kept the whole class active and happy, and pleasantly surprised as they were expecting traditional gym work for the lesson, not active gaming!

What surprised me was about half the 16 year old’s in class had arrived not intending to take part in the expected gym class, with parental notes and the old “forgotten kit” excuses. I did wonder how many would have skipped PE had they known Gamercize would be there? From the feedback we had, the girls who were not planning to engage in the class appeared more keen on the active gaming class, with many asking if the equipment would be available next week.

One group that knew active gaming was coming to school was the teachers. After running the classes it is normal to use the equipment as an “ice-breaker” with the teachers and to wind down before reflecting on the lessons learned from the day’s classes. It was long past time to pack up and get on the road, but the competitive nature of PE teachers was overriding the message from the school clock. Of course do-overs were the order of the day as we battled it out with Super Monkey Ball Grand Prix.

The only other time you will see engagement over such wide demographics is with traditional sedentary video games. Although technology is not normally associated with the Physical Education department, the active version of video games looks very promising for attendance rates. The teachers certainly saw the appeal, which is always more conducive in a hands-on environment when the reactions of students can be seen first hand and the equipment tried out by all ages.

This post originally appeared on PE Central's Active Gaming blog at - http://pecactivegaming.blogspot.com/2011/08/active-gamings-global-appeal.html

Sphere: Related Content

---

Active Gaming For Fitness and Learning - Video

Sphere: Related Content

---

Active Gaming: Oh, You Mean the Wii?

Introducing PE Central's new Exergaming blog, by a real life active gaming PhD - Lisa Hansen.
(original post at http://pecactivegaming.blogspot.com/2010/08/active-gaming-oh-you-mean-wii.html)


I cannot tell you how many conversations I have had with individuals discussing active gaming when they say something similar to, "Oh, you mean like the Nintendo Wii?” While my answer is "yes", it has become more and more frustrating to realize that superb marketing of a popular brand has really conditioned many minds to not properly understand active gaming. Active gaming is more than just the Wii...much more!


Active gaming is an umbrella term with a modern concept of combining technology + games + physical activity. Exergaming is also a popular term associated with active gaming that some refer to as "active" video game play. Yes, Nintendo Wii is an active game; but, so are a variety of virtual bikes, rhythmic dance games (dance dance revolution), martial arts simulators, HopSports, Gamercize, gesture tracking games, other virtual sports games, etc. Simply stated, there are numerous active gaming activities available on the market- commercially and for residential use. Review the "What is active gaming?" section of our website to learn more.


While many physical activity advocates, and maybe I should include traditionalist, view active gaming as a potentially negative tool to be used to promote physical activity; I am not so sure these technology driven physical activities have been given a proper chance to be successful. A large reason for much misconception is due to a lack of knowledge and or negative experiences with the inappropriate implementation of active gaming. Both of which are understandable and will be discussed further on the PEC active gaming website as well as in our blogs.


The question: "What should active gaming really be?" Active gaming should be a "tool" (in physical education) used to get children physically active while accomplishing learning objectives. Active gaming should not replace traditional physical activities; only accentuate them if that makes sense? A popular facet of active gaming is that the children consider the games fun because the technology aligns with the current generation's interests. If they are going to spend time playing video games why not let them choose an active video game? So I ask you, what is wrong with "fun fitness" if a child will choose to be active playing an active game opposed to a more sedentary behavior? Our goal is to educate children about physical activity in hopes they will become voluntarily active for a lifetime. Active gaming is simply one type of physical activity to help accomplish this goal!


This is a very useful and considered overview of exergaming with a P.E. slant, be sure to check out the blog and website!

Sphere: Related Content

---

Is there a Ninja in your Exergame?

Active Gaming without the Game?

The defining attribute of Exergaming or Active Gaming is..? (did you spot the clue in the question!)

That's right - THE GAME!! It's the bit that takes your mind off exercising and makes the active experience actually enjoyable. The key interaction is to make the exercise disappear - stealth exercise if you like. Maybe even the interaction is so stealthy it could be the Ninja in your exergame!

The great advantage of exergaming, and Gamercize in particular, is the end result of burning calories and being active. How this magic works is not really important - that it does is important!

Over analysing exergame products is not a task for the inexperienced or flippant, so if you really want to see the nuts and bolts, go to The Exergame Network (TEN) and see how they break it down.

The results of a product or service are far more important than the intricate detail. You don't need to understand how an auto mechanic fixes your car, just that it's running again! Physical Education has an opportunity to get out of semantics and roll out results with the new initiative from the US government - Let's Move campaign.

I hope that exergaming is taken seriously as an intervention for PE and the initiative to reclaim activity for the people. There is support in many areas, not just Ninjas, as you can see on the RWJF forum on Physical Activity in School.

Sphere: Related Content

---

Teachers Demand Physical Education Overhaul

Originally Posted At The Exergame Network Blog

Scientific research supports physical activity as an effective approach to minimize mounting health concerns and Physical Education teachers are using this research and exciting new methods to re-define "what is PE". PE teachers are the doing their part by rasing awareness that fitness can be fun, in a way that kids today understand - technology.

These technology skilled PE teachers of today are learning to use "exergames" in classes - exergames are video-games combined with fitness. Nothing engages today's school children more than technology, so it is no surprise exergames dramatically raise interest in PE class by making the class fun, challenging and rewarding. Exergaming is advocated throughout the U.S. by The Exergame Network (TEN). TEN's mission is to share information, success stories and act as a portal resource for exergaming via it's education wiki and blog.

Pioneering teachers PE encountered early challenges, sometimes experimenting with games consoles, like the Nintendo Wii, as a format to drive a PE class. Leading PE teachers now eagerly share the formula for success by using a wide range of exergame implementations. Successfully trailed exergames meet recommended exercise guidelines and can be integrated into structure PE lessons to the enjoyment and benefit of students. Many PE teachers have developed the skills to use exergaming in a developmentally appropriate way, according to guidelines from PE centers of excellence, as a tool can motivate and energize today's youth.

A Florida PE teacher spoke confidently in support of exergaming, "This is the first time in 11 years of teaching PE that I've had to kick kids out of class who don't want to stop exercising." One student summarizes the feelings of those involved in structured exergaming PE class "If the whole United States had a room like this, then this world would be a better place." This evidence, supported by peer reviewed research, comes directly from the University of South Florida's, Active Gaming Research Lab's web archives and represents just two of the many success stories of research into all ages and different implementations of exergaming.

The support for exergaming has reached global proportions, demonstrated by quotes from the BBC News posted in the Gamercize web archives. A PE student talks about the immersive nature of exergaming "Sometimes when you're playing netball or basketball you get a bit tired and then you say 'Oh I don't want to do this anymore' but this is really fun and I think I could do it all day." Her teacher is aware of how exergaming increases student involvement in PE, "Its certainly not physical education as we know it, but thats not what we're looking for. Some kids want to take part in this who wouldn't want to play football or other conventional sports."

Educators, researchers and editors alike are encouraged to use exergaming technology in their classes by first visiting the TEN resource sites to participate, ask questions to the worlds foremost experts, share news and ideas on exergaming in PE and PA. Resource information from TEN includes the five major categories of exergaming implementations, from dance pads to dedicated "workout" games, at http://exergamenetwork.blogspot.com/p/types-of-exergaming.html. TEN has also listed exergaming products available in the US with a collection of nearly 40 different exergaming choices covering aspects of PE with many different modes of physical activity at http://exergamenetwork.blogspot.com/p/exergame-products.html.

The Exergame Network can be joined or contacted via LinkedIn, Facebook, Wiki, Twitter or by email at info@exergamenetwork.org.

Sphere: Related Content

---

Exergames are Basketballs

Factors in Exergaming effectiveness

The buzz surrounding exergaming, also known as active gaming, is undeniable this year. There doesn't seem to be a day going by that products make the news and blogs. I've been involved in exergaming since 2004, so I have been fortunate to see the products come in (and most go out) to give me a wide view on the subject.

Most exergames have something in common, they are all basketballs. Here's a picture of the latest and newest exergame to make the the headlines... cool huh?

Ok, so it might not really be an exergame, but it shares a lot of features with the active gaming products.

• It can be used to improve health and fitness
• It has the potential for weight management
• It can be fun and engaging
• It has potential for competition
• It could be used socially
• It can develop physical skills
  

However, the basketball, and the exergaming product, while having all this potential, actually do none of the above. Look at the picture below. Now this is achieving all of the above. Do you see how small the basketball actually is in the picture? It's the game that's achieving all of the above, not the ball. The same is true for active gaming products.

Sat on it's own the basketball does nothing. Picked up and used in a game it suddenly becomes the enabler for all the fitness, weight loss, competition, social and skill development objectives. Some exergames are better at providing a start down this path than others, but in essence, it's the implementation of how you use an active gaming product that is the key between successes and failures

Most exergames benefit from programming. That is a set of objectives and a plan on how to meet those objectives by using the equipment. It is about setting tasks to achieve goals. PE teachers regularly write lesson plans to reach the objectives of a curriculum. Each lesson takes one or more aspects to develop and work on.

Some exergames take it upon themselves to implement "programming", but this often fails. An exergame needs to be adaptable to start with to be successful. See below as an example of how a rigid exergame can't tick the boxes of one that allows programming and professional instruction.

What have we learned? We have learned that exergame products are tools, and the effectiveness in using them obviously depends on their basic attributes, but more so on the way the exergame is being used.

We have learned that the games and enjoyment are a great route to reach goals, and that planning is an important aspect in this. I think 2010 will be the year people will be the focus in exergaming, the implementers will make the headlines, and the products seen in the supporting role.

Sphere: Related Content

---

Active Gaming - The Social Phenomenon

Peer fun rules ok!

This is a presentation from the Games for Health Conference 2009 that I was lucky enough to attend. It's about Active Gaming (or exergaming if you prefer) - that is using computer games for exercise.

One criticism of active gaming that I hear sometimes is that there's no social interaction, not like real play or sports. Active gaming is not an replacement or an outsider to those activities, it's actually an integral part of both play and team exercise, and this excellent insight shows the social aspects.

G4H Social Interaction 09

View more documents from lwithers.

Sphere: Related Content

---

Exergaming - Making exercise fun, for everyone

Free awareness card packs at Games for Health!

Games for Health in Boston this year was a much larger event that last year, showing the increased need and following not only in games for health, but specifically exergames!

The vast majority of the general public, even a good proportion of the delegates, have very little knowledge of the number of products in this space. For most it's just exergaming is Wii Fit, even poor old Wii Sports has been forgotten now. But there's so much more!


There is problem with this lack of awareness; if you don't like exercises like Wii Fit or if you don't lose weight with Wii Sports then it's a bad assumption to make that exergaming doesn't work. You've just not found the right one for you!

This is why it's important to see the whole selection, and why we pulled together a group of products that can be considered exergaming, 38 products in all, not just Gamercize. As the key message of exergaming is all about fun, we turned this into a card game for delegates to take home and play!

Here's a link to the conference live blog and some instructions on how to play - http://befitwithbiray.com/games4health/?p=32

The 38 products is the card list we used, so don't forget there's even more exergames out there - take a look at the exergaming wiki at http://exergaming.pbwiki.com and check that out, see how exergaming can work for you or your school and meet some of the people behind the genre!

Sphere: Related Content

---

Exergaming Ethics

When Good Exergaming goes Bad.

Last week I visited AAHPERD and spoke to a great many delegates, presenters, academics and exhibitors about the state of the exergaming industry in physical education. This particular post deals with just the bad news from the conference.

I went to two poster sessions from students who tested exergaming (in the form of Nintendo Wii) against non-virtual sports. The results were as I expected, exergaming was no substitute for real sports in terms of physical exertion or movement. The surprise was the impression I had from speaking to the researchers - they expected Wii Sports to "win".

Most, if in fact not all, of the people who spoke to me about exergaming at AAHPERD has an equal level is disillusionment with the Wii in physical education. It's not that the Wii is bad, it's in fact very good - but expectations have been set to unrealistic levels. Other exergame vendors are also guilty of this, not necessarily in exertion levels, but more on sustainability. What we need here can be summed by one word : ETHICS.

The other public facing side of exergaming is the service provision companies. I heard about incomplete installations, lack of support, poor equipment choices and generally poor customer service. This concerns me a great deal, as exergaming needs a better reputation than this.

I know money is tight for service companies, and there must be a greater tendency to "cut and run", but it should also be mentioned that money is tight for everyone! The industry is not reacting correctly to provide a better value customer experience. What we need here can be summed by one word : ETHICS.

There are bad exergame companies and there are good ones, these are just the bad. Ask your vendor or supplier "how do your kids find this stuff?". You'll invariably discover, as I have, that the bad eggs don't have direct experience with children! If you're dealing with someone who's not been a teacher or parent - beware!!!

There is no point calling out the names of the products or companies that are operating to short term commercial goals rather than long term ethical ones, because this economic crisis will naturally remove them one by one. Let's not say anything bad about any company in particular - "Nah! Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave."

Sphere: Related Content

---

Stealth Fitness comes to AAHPERD

Gamercize brings the 101 of Exergaming for Schools

AAHPERD Will be very exciting for Gamercize as Active Gaming is predicted to be the hot topic there for 2009! This will be my first year at the event, where I'll be presenting in various sessions (as the poster shows!). More importantly I'll be on hand from time to time at the Gamercize USA booth; so now's your chance to do the talking and my opportunity to listen!


AAHPERD is in Tampa, Florida from March 31th to April 4th and the "must-see" booth is Gamercize on #736. My other tips are, for the pre-conference on Tuesday register for "Technology for Instruction in Physical Education activity" and see Lisa Hansen's presentation.

For Friday the workshop #551 "Exergames: Bridging the Gap between Video Games, Activity, and Fun" is a must-see headlined by Stephen Yang and has the "who's who" of exergaming presenting... as well as myself as a late addition.

That leaves two days; so come and see the Gamercize USA booth, maybe I'll see you there! Safe travels!

Sphere: Related Content

---

Exergaming Makes Me Sick

Exergaming suffering from "video gaming revulsion"

Last year I presented Gamercize to a group representing the Trust that has a lot to do with Youth Sport (of which we are members). The chairwoman of this organisation is highly respected and even holds an MBE (that’s the honour below the widely recognised British OBE). After watching a short TV clip from BBC East Midlands as part of the presentation, that showed kids using video games for exercise, she could hardly contain herself.

It was not the fact that we’d happily engaged 97% of the kids in moderate to intense levels of activity (while traditional PE here is littered with sick notes and missing kit) that meant she lost composure; it was, in contrast, a negative response. “Seeing those kids playing video games in PE makes me feel sick!” she retorted, and the only question she asked in the whole presentation was “are those DVDs?” while pointing to a stack of kids PS2 games.

Needless to say she was in the minority of 1, as the closer the delegates were to implementation or kids, the more fired up and keen they were. The trend to the positive from government and organisations like this Trust are far more encouraging. Responses like these, starting with the Chief Medical Officers annual report, published this week, illustrate the tides of change for exergaming acceptance:

"My concern over the growing obesity ‘time bomb’ facing this country is well known, and the East Midlands is looking at the possibility of using interactive computer games to help obese children lose weight. Initial results look promising, and this could prove to be one of the ways of engaging overweight children in exercise." Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health.

"Gamercize is unique, innovative and exciting. Our Youth Fitness Academy and Playscheme Kids have found the concept fun, interactive and competitive." Jon Randall, Facility Manager, Southampton (Chamberlayne) Leisure Centre

"This test encouraged children to be more active, and that’s a great starting point. I know as a dad that the reason why video games are so popular is because they are so good, and kids will not leave them. It’s better to be smart and work with the games, making children more active in the process." Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of Weight Concern and associate specialist University Hospital Nottingham

"This is a very interesting result – it opens up a possible way of getting children more active." Dr Colin Waine, chairman of the National Obesity Forum

"Physical inactivity in children is a major cause of the obesity epidemic, and Gamercize provides an innovative solution, reducing sedentary behaviour, whilst maintaining enjoyment, making it a popular and appealing remedy. This study begins to show that by providing more novel opportunities, it is possible to increase a child's activity in a painless and effective way." Dr David Haslam, Clinical Director of the National Obesity Forum

"Ideally children should be running around fields and expending energy naturally, but a lot of children are unable to do this so active gaming brings about energy balance. The key to all this is that children must have fun and the value of Gamercize is that children have a great time using it." Tam Fry, National Obesity Forum's board member for children and the Honorary Chairman of the Child Growth Foundation

“I first saw Gamercize at a schools trial, where a class of 31 children were exercising on steppers and cycles playing PlayStation2. Out of all the equipment at the trial, boys and girls were asked to vote for a favourite. Gamercize was the clear winner, proving twice as popular as a second placed game racing bike. From a schools perspective, the flexibility of Gamercize to be used with more than one player provides a required social aspect to physical education. The ability to choose any game is also very useful, and helps maintain interest over time and engage all children.” Helen Ley, Sports Development Manager, Sport Hampshire & IOW

"We are committed to increasing opportunities and access for active participation amongst young people in the City. This innovative approach in partnership with Southampton Football Club and Gamercize is an initiative that compliments Active Southampton challenge of getting the people of Southampton active 30 minutes a day." Jayne Ludden, Sport and Recreation Services Manager, Southampton City Council

"This is a great British invention that could begin to bridge the gap between exercise levels of both adults and children today and what they should be doing. It makes it realistic to achieve an hour’s exercise in a lunch time if you’re stuck in the office and likewise for children who would rather stay inside playing games." Brigid Simmonds OBE, Business in Sport and Leisure CEO, who also worked on the Foresight Obesity Report

“Gamercize is a brilliant way to engage with pupils who my not be currently active within school sport. It gives a new opportunity to pupils allowing them to win in competitions individually and as a team, plus, have a fun social aspect that can incorporate even the unlikeliest of teachers! The great thing about Gamercize is that pupils do not even realise they are active gaming and come off the machines sweating with heavy breathing. Gamercize came to one of my schools for a pilot demonstration and it was great to know that over the course of the day pupils stepped a huge amount that equated to jogging all the way from Derby to Liverpool City Centre”. Phil Basterfield, Competition Manager, Derbyshire Sport

I'm happy to leave the last word with the expert majority... case closed!

Sphere: Related Content

---

Physical Education by Active Gaming for Girls

Gamercize makes PE fun for girls as well as boys!

Demo days are the best part of working for Gamercize by far. It gives us a chance to test out the reactions to different types of games on brand new audiences. I'll put together the results of this analysis next week for another site, more on that later.

The most recent school demo day we did was in Nottingham, and we brought up a good mix of games. The fun part about this day was we were asked to bring all the last-gen consoles, PS2, Xbox and GameCube.

All of these consoles easily support 4 players, as do the current (PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii) consoles. The difference is that there are more games designed for four players at a time, while the newer consoles focus on online play. Gamercize supports all these 6 consoles plus PC leaving the choice, as ever, wide open.

The first class came into the gym bringing a surprise; it was the girls PE class. The easiest games to engage boys with are sports games, would the same be true for girls? Sports worked well, but it was clear the girls wanted more variety, so to engage the whole class we had to do more.

After changing games on the consoles a couple of times we settled into three different genres on all three consoles. Sports was still popular, fantasy racing won out over racing simulation and the last genre turned out best to be a fantasy adventure. This kept the whole class active and happy, and pleasantly surprised as they were expecting traditional gym work for the lesson, not active gaming!

A couple of girls from the 11 year olds class turned up without kit and sat out. This is normal, but what surprised me was about half the 16 year olds class that was next had arrived not intending to take part in the expected gym class. I wonder how many would have skipped PE had they known Gamercize would be there? I think there is an excellent research project idea here - to measure the attendance rates for both traditional PE and active gaming PE lessons.

One group that knew active gaming was coming to school was the teachers. After running an after school club it was time to pack up and get on the road, but the competitive nature of these types of individuals was too much temptation!

Of course rematches we the order of the day as we battled it out with Super Monkey Ball Grand Prix on the GameCube! Video games are not normally associated with the Physical Education department but the competition was awesome! I wonder how the mathematics department would have fared in this mini tournament? Maybe next time.

Sphere: Related Content

---

School and Sport's Partnership Conference

Gamercize wins the public vote!

Last week (and this week!) was very busy for us at Gamercize, bringing our unrivaled exergaming products to the UK's School and Sport's Partnership Conference in Telford.

I quick look around showed no active console gaming evident, aside from Gamercize. There were a few dedicated video game exercise machines, and the prices of these was staggering.

Gamercize showed similar exercise benefits, for a tenth of the cost, but they key benefit demonstrated by Gamercize was not the cost but the ability to support the games kids are already playing.

We chose to show the Gamercize products with Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2, as both of these capable consoles are used to engage all children from early years to teenagers plus also double as DVD players for school!

The most encouraging aspect of the conference was the reaction of the partnership development managers, who when handed a leaflet said "that's ok, I already have one" - but that was referring not to the leaflet, but to already having Gamercize installed in their schools.

The hunt was on for delegates that have not engaged their children in physical activity with Gamercize. For those who hadn't seen it before their reactions were extremely positive, which explains why this week is also proving so busy for us - filling orders!

Sphere: Related Content

---

Flexible Technology for Physical Education

Which is better, Structured or Unstructured PE?

When looking for exergaming to supplement existing physical education there are many choices. It is all too easy to be taken in by a wow factor; but evaluation should be made just as carefully as for traditional activity.

Electronics alone don't make great fitness activities, if they did then calculators could be used in PE! What makes great activities are people - the professional teachers, trainers, instructors who supervise physical education.

It should go without saying that exergames should be tools for the professionals, and be flexible enough to be used as the instructor deems appropriate. If a goal of PE is to raise the fitness of the whole class, and that means engaging everyone, no matter what their current ability.

Unstructured PE has the advantage that individuals can apply varying effort, so all abilities can be engaged. Take team sports as an example. Each player has a part to play but is free to make individual choice and apply effort of varying degrees to match their ability.

Gamercize achieves unstructured PE easily as only physical activity is required to participate, and the level of activity does not relate to in game performance or achievement. Students can take turns to play a popular video game while others participate with the social activity of spectating.

Structured PE can be used to boost individuals performance through bettering achievements of personal bests or finishing position. Running races are a good example, as the time run can be used for recording individual performance and gives everyone the motivation to finish in a higher place than last time.

Gamercize has the ability for instructors themselves to individually raise the minimum effort required to participate to physically challenge some students. Couple this with competition in gaming and the PE becomes structured and effort based.

To use exergaming effectively the most important component is the professional delivering the class. Gamercize shows how flexibility in exergaming can be used in both unstructured physical play and highly structured sports competition.

So which is better, structured or unstructured PE? I can't answer that, neither can an exergame, the only person qualified to decide is the one with the professional qualification - and the role of the exergame, is to be flexible enough to support that decision.

Sphere: Related Content

---