Olympic Exergaming with London 2012

The release of Sega's official video game with both Microsoft Kinect and PlayStation Move compatibility may conjure images of swan diving off the back of the sofa or hurdling over the cat in the living room. However, the exergaming aspect of the game out of the box is limited and non-existent for PC players.

There are nearly 50 events in Sega's offering for the official video game of the London Games, but only a handful of these can be played as exergames with Move and Kinect. The game is available on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 and far from being a sporting legacy from the games is basically one of those exergames we'd rather not talk about.

Why is there so little exergaming in this most obvious of titles? The reason is the motion sensor technology of the consoles is at odds with game play. The puppeteering control required to make the game playable is simply not possible using the confines of a living room. The vast majority of events use tried and tested game pad controller input, even to the point a game pad is preferred over a PC's keyboard and mouse.

The lasting legacy of the games, however, is not lost for those wishing to be active whilst re-living, or improving, their countries gold medal count. Gamercize is compatible with every event! The advantages of using Gamercize with London 2012 are the space needed is no more than sitting or standing and the control of the game is not degraded. Exercise to play is all we ask!

Gamercize has a number of options for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with our range of mini and full sized exercise machines. Check out http://www.gamercize.net to find out more. Gamercize helps Olympic exergamers to Reach the Next Level!

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Exergaming: Preaching to the Converted

Reaching the "Hard to Reach" through Social Media

Photo by ExergameLab http://exergamelab.org

The concepts of obesity, physical activity and health are globally recognized and linked. Ideas and questions are shared within social media without international boundaries and eagerly expanded or answers suggested. Video gaming is also a global concept, with worldwide release dates for premium games and global communities of online players. Stories around these topics tend to cause a social media "buzz".

Exergaming is an innovative bridge from video gaming to health, that has been demonstrated in almost every country, but exergaming is not intrinsically a social media buzz-category. Why is that? It could be the approach exergaming stories should be shared needs to be different to take into account the relative infancy of the proven exergaming concept.Over recent months I have seen the success and acceptance of exergaming in social media though what was once called "cross-posting".

Cross-posting is a term that was used in bulletin boards and news groups of the old Web 1.0 and involves repeating information in different areas. Given the amount of social media available to be consumed via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sources, this practice is useful today in order to reach the intended audience. In fact I intend to "cross-post" this blog post! When a story is posted there is the opportunity for readers to interact for example by "liking" or "retweeting" - a comparative measure for cross posts..

Judging the reaction by the number of "likes and comments" on exergaming cross-posts this year it is apparent that only "preaching to the converted" is working! There are very few reactions to exergaming stories in PE and physical activity forums, but plenty in exergaming circles. The most effective social circle for reaching audience is clearly The Exergame Network. The only other notable forum for exergaming is Games for Health. Both The Exergame Network (TEN) and the Games for Health organization, with its US and European factions and related Games for Health Journal, are global organizations.

There are two conclusions that can be drawn from my recent observations. Firstly, there are simply not enough knowledgeable or passionate individuals in the field of exergaming (at the moment) to sustain a buzz in anything less than a global forum. National and regional scope simply does not reach the tipping point to build momentum. I have seen individuals go it alone, and the only outcome being they fall out of the flock of exergamers!

Lastly I am concluding that approaching exergaming like it has the social kudos of gaming or fitness is the wrong approach. For exergaming "Preaching to the Converted" is all that really works. How should the approach change then? Increase those that are converted! Invite PE and physical activity advocates into The Exergame Network and Games for Health spaces, so they can consume exergaming stories, ask questions and make suggestions is a positive collaboration instead of a skeptical minority.

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Gamercize Supports New OUYA Console

Gamercize is planning to support the innovative Android based console OUYA by providing compatible exergaming accessories from its existing range.

The current range of supported platforms for Gamercize includes Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC is planned to be extended in 2013 to support OUYA. 

Gamercize enables gaming through the player exercising, pausing the gameplay if the user stops moving. This principle of Gamercize is unique in exergaming as the game is the focus with exercise playing an enabling rather than integrated role.

This patented concept allows Gamercize to support all traditional video games, without modification, to provide an immersive and sustainable exercise experience. The Gamercize focus towards a wide variety of games with traditional control methods is compatible with the stated approach of the OUYA concept.

“Recent studies into exergaming show that fitness focused games are not working; researchers and developers are failing to identify that without a quality gaming experience an exergaming is just exercise. Gamercize relies on the immersion of gaming to take a players focus off the exercise effort and this interaction has been proved time and again during the research. Our approach makes improving fitness via stealth far more viable.

Gamercize is successful because we are gamers and we understand gaming as much as the need to be healthy. The focus of OUYA towards traditional controllers, big screen immersion and variety of games for all players aligns with Gamercize. I’m excited to see the possible addition of OUYA to our supported platforms. It’s a Perfect Fit.” said Gamercize CEO, Richard Coshott.

The Gamercize product range has been in production since 2006. Exercise machines in the Gamercize range start with the GZ Power Stepper to the GZ Family Fit combined recumbent cycle and rower giving players unparalleled choice in exercise. Gamercize can be purchased for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC today at http://www.gamercizeshop.com.

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Sponsor my Skydive to Support Exergaming Students!

I normally have the left seat when aviation is concerned and it's never occurred to me to land independently of the aircraft I took to the skies with. In all honesty I'm really not that good with heights at all! A skydive represents a significant challenge to me, so it's appropriate that I do this daunting task to support exergame research's equally duanting challenges.

Exergaming research is disparate and unstructured in it's approach and inconsistent with it's results. This leads to a great deal of confusion in the media and public view as to what exergaming can and can not achieve with respect to health. Exergaming is a serious game floundering in the playground of research politics. No more obvious is this than the biggest research projects, that while guaranteeing the principle researchers tier one journal publications, leaving the exergaming genre abused in it's wake. Read more about that sorry state of affairs here.

The Exergame Network (TEN) has been long aware that the limitations of exergaming are public knowledge, dissemination, application and study design rather than failings in the equipment and the excellent individuals who deliver the experience to the users. To that end TEN has collaborated to give the top questions, and therefore evidence, required to understand exergaming. From it's wiki site here they are:

We need studies to show positive results in the following studies; 

1. Energy Expenditure (absolute or comparative) - DONE

2. Adherence of Exergaming - DONE

3. Positive Behaviour Effects

4. Gateway Effect

5. Comparative Enjoyment of PA

6. Health Benefits of Exergaming

7. Family health benefits of Exergaming

8. Cognitive benefits of exergaming

9. Improved social confidence from Exergaming

The first two of these questions have been answered sucessfuly by Konami's DDR and Gamercize's GZ Pro-Sport respectively. In answering these questions the original study design also becomes valuable - as a blueprint for others to follow in the implementation of exergaming. The irony is that exergamers in the field already know what works and what doesn't, so why don't researchers answer their research questions using study designs informed by the experts?

TEN thinks this is a poor state of affairs, so is launching an initiative to get the right designs into the journals. The reason I am facing the challenge of falling out of a plane on my own (note that I'm not jumping tandem but solo) is to give TEN a chance to gain some sponsorship to fund students into exergame research.

TEN will ask for study designs to be submitted for consideration and the best of these will be decided by a panel of experts for funding and support. As indicated above TEN thinks there is more to funding a study than most other foundations - TEN wants the right questions, right design and right approach, so the award to successful candidates will not only be money. TEN is providing the following;

1. Cash for research assistants / buy out from class
2. Exergaming equipment donation
3. Dissemination opportunities
4. Publication opportunities
5. Academic Support and Exergaming Expertise

The way to support this cause is to donate via fundraise.com at https://www.fundraise.com/the-exergame-network/active-gamer - You can also support the initiative by sharing this post, the fund raising page and joining TEN on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and attending Skype calls. Do it now.

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Is Enhanced Physical Activity Possible Using Active Videogames? - Open Response by Gamercize CEO

Making Exergaming A Success?

Gamercize has always performed impeccably in well designed research studies, delivering the validation of sensible, and considered, research questions. (see http://gamercize.blogspot.com/p/active-gaming-research-projects.html for study designs and results)


Applications of Gamercize in these studies have varied from desk exercise to school activities and at all times provided the correct level of engagement for the user to achieve beneficial physiological responses.


Gamercize does not fail because of the core principles of making exercise a secondary activity (automatic response) to the on-screen enjoyment, and allowing the user to engage in the electronic content that they prefer.


Best games and realistic exercise; is there any better formula for an exergame design? According to a recent Clinical Brief in the excellent Games for Health Journal, some researchers are well behind in the learning curve towards this understanding.


The brief is referencing a study reported on earlier this year in the journal Pediatrics, with the lead researcher, Tom Baranowski, defending the original study for it's poor reception by the media. Originally, according the NHS in the UK, the summary of the study by Dr Baranowski was “there is no reason to believe that simply acquiring an active video game under naturalistic circumstances provides a public health benefit to children”. This was a pretty bold statement to be based on just one study - even despite it's size and cost. It is also a statement that is incorrect with respect to Gamercize active video games.


In defense of the controversy stirred up by the study and it's subsequent media reporting the recent Brief diverges from rational perspective and common sense further, claiming "Children early in the diffusion curve might have used the games more actively" - which translated basically means, had the study been conducted when Wii first came out it would have favorably changed the outcome. The suggestion for rectifying this (of many) faults of the study claims that Kinect for Xbox 360 would have been a resolution.


The most basic and fundamental failure of this research, the attempt to recover via the Brief and of the researcher is that; A CONSOLE IS NOT A GAME! A new game is all that is required to sustain interest. Clearly the more engaging and appropriate for the user the game is in the first place, the longer the period of time before interest wanes. 


The game titles used had not been chosen by the participants in the original study and were weak gameplay fitness games (excusing DDR of course!). There is not one person familiar with video games that would have expected the outcome to be anything but a failure as a result.


Gamercize, of course, does not suffer from the weak fitness title sustainability problem (see the list of exergaming studies earlier in this post that references this) as Gamercize uses the game the user wants to play! Would this have been a more considered exergame to put under test? I think so. It is a pity the genre of exergaming took such a high level kick in the teeth by the media reports, slowing our progress towards the very health benefits this study sought to prove.


To summarize, the basic lack of understanding into the interaction between video games and the target population is outstanding. There is no systematic or methodological failure in the study outside of this. The foundation of sheer ignorance of video gaming was not understood by media and hence why the media reporting was so outspoken and prolific. 


My conclusion for any researcher looking to expand their portfolio with exergaming studies is (and I would welcome Tom's open reply in comment);


"If you don't understand video games you will never be able to design a successful study using exergaming. Certainly don't undertake any exergaming study until you have taken advice from an expert - any twelve year old will do."

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158 New Exergames Announced at E3 for 2012

E3 Has long been the focus of the gaming and tech worlds, but  exergaming is stealing the stage in 2012. No fewer than 158 new exergame titles have been announced. There is something for every person, age and preference this year with titles from Epic Mickey : The Power of Two through Lego Lord of the Rings to Gears of War Judgement and Forza Horizon.

Here's the top ten exergame picks from E3 so far according to GameSpot:

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PC,Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

The Secret World (PC)

Hitman: Absolution (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Halo 4 (Xbox 360)

Assassin's Creed III (PC,PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Far Cry 3 (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Tomb Raider (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

The Last Guardian (PlayStation 3)

Resident Evil 6 (PC,Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

The platforms of Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC are all supported by Gamercize, the gamers choice of exergame with genuine fitness machines enabling gameplay of the best the video game industry has to offer.

The full list of games is below, there is something for everyone representing an estimated 21 million sales and hundreds of hours healthy game play for every gamer via Gamercize!

007 Legends (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Agni's Philosophy (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

American Mensa Academy (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Arctic Combat (PC)

Arma II (Xbox 360)

Arma III (PC)

Ascend: New Gods (Xbox 360)

Assassin's Creed III (PC,PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Avatar Motocross Madness (Xbox 360)

Battlefield 3: Armored Kill (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Battlefield 3: End Game (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Bellator: MMA Onslaught (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Ben 10: Omniverse (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3,PC)

Beyond: Two Souls (PlayStation 3)

Borderlands 2 (PlayStation 3,PC,Xbox 360)

Brick-Force (PC)

Bullet Run (PC)

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (PlayStation 3,PC,Xbox 360)

Carrier Command: Gaea Mission (Xbox 360,PC)

CastleStorm (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3,PC)

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Continent of the Ninth Seal (PC)

Core Blaze (PC)

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Crysis 3 (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition (PC)

Darksiders II (PlayStation 3,PC,Xbox 360)

DC Universe Online: The Last Laugh (PlayStation 3,PC)

Dead or Alive 5 (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Dead Space 3 (PC,PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Deadlight (Xbox 360)

Defiance (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Demonicon (PC)

Deponia (PC)

DiRT Showdown (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Dishonored (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Divinity: Original Sin (PC)

DMC (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Dogfight 1942 (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Doom 3 BFG Edition (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Dungeonland (PC)

Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter (PC)

DUST 514 (PlayStation 3)

Dust: An Elysian Tail (Xbox 360)

Dyad (PlayStation 3)

Dynasty Warriors 7 - Empires (PlayStation 3)

End of Nations (PC)

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Ether Vapor Remaster (PC)

F1 2012 (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Fable: The Journey (Xbox 360)

Far Cry 3 (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

FIFA Soccer 13 (PC,PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Final Fantasy XIV Online (PlayStation 3)

Firefall (PC)

Fist of the North Star 2 (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Foosball 2012 (PlayStation 3)

Forza Horizon (Xbox 360)

Fray (PC)

Gears of War Judgment (Xbox 360)

God of War: Ascension (PlayStation 3)

Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Grimlands (PC)

Guardians of Middle-Earth (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Halo 4 (Xbox 360)

Happy Wars (Xbox 360)

Hitman: Absolution (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Hybrid (Xbox 360)

Injustice: Gods Among Us (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Jet Set Radio (PC,PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Joe Danger: The Movie (Xbox 360)

Kartuga (PC)

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (PC,PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

LEGO The Lord of the Rings (PC,PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

LittleBigPlanet Karting (PlayStation 3)

LocoCycle (Xbox 360)

Lollipop Chainsaw (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Lost Planet 3 (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Madden NFL 13 (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Mark of the Ninja (Xbox 360)

Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth (Xbox 360)

Matter (Xbox 360)

Medal of Honor: Warfighter (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PC,Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Metro: Last Light (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Miner Wars 2081 (Xbox 360,PC)

Mistborn: Birthright (Xbox 360,PC,PlayStation 3)

Mugen Souls (PlayStation 3)

Narco Terror (Xbox 360,PC,PlayStation 3)

NBA 2K13 (Xbox 360)

NBA Baller Beats (Xbox 360)

NBA Live 13 (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

NCAA Football 13 (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Need for Speed Most Wanted (Criterion) (PC,PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

NHL 13 (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PlayStation 3)

Of Orcs and Men (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3,PC)

One Piece: Pirate Warriors (PlayStation 3)

Otherland (PC)

Painkiller: Hell & Damnation (PC)

Papo & Yo (PlayStation 3)

Persona 4 Arena (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Pid (PC)

PlanetSide 2 (PC)

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (PlayStation 3)

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3,PC)

Quantum Conundrum (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3,PC)

RaiderZ (PC)

Ratchet & Clank: QForce (PlayStation 3)

Resident Evil 6 (PC,Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Retro City Rampage (PlayStation 3,PC,Xbox 360)

Rift: Storm Legion (PC)

Rise of the Guardians (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Risen 2: Dark Waters (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Runes of Magic Chapter V: Fires of Shadowforge (PC)

Sacrilegium (PC)

ShootMania Storm (PC)

SimCity (2013) (PC)

Skulls of the Shogun (Xbox 360)

Skylanders Giants (PC,Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Sleeping Dogs (PC,PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (PlayStation 3)

Sound Shapes (PlayStation 3)

South Park: The Stick of Truth (PC,Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Spec Ops: The Line (PlayStation 3,PC,Xbox 360)

Sports Champions 2 (PlayStation 3)

Star Trek (2013) (PlayStation 3,PC,Xbox 360)

Star Wars: 1313 (PlayStation 3,PC,Xbox 360)

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

The Amazing Spider-Man (PC,Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

The Elder Scrolls Online (PC)

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard (Xbox 360)

The Last Guardian (PlayStation 3)

The Last of Us (PlayStation 3)

The Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan (PC)

The Secret World (PC)

The Showdown Effect (PC)

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes (Xbox 360,PC,PlayStation 3)

The Unfinished Swan (PlayStation 3)

Tokyo Jungle (PlayStation 3)

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist (PlayStation 3,PC,Xbox 360)

Tomb Raider (2013) (PC)

Tomb Raider (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD (Xbox 360)

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (PC,PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

War of the Roses (PC)

Warface (PC)

Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes (PC)

Watch Dogs (PC,PlayStation 3,Xbox 360)

Wizardry Online (PC)

Wonderbook: Book of Spells (PlayStation 3)

World of Battleships (PC)

World of Warplanes (PC)

Wreckateer (Xbox 360)

XCOM: Enemy Unknown (PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,PC)

Young Justice: Legacy (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

Zeno Clash II (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3,PC)

Zone of the Enders HD Collection (Xbox 360,PlayStation 3)

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Are you going to Games for Health this year?

The conference is a few weeks away now. Have you made plans? Check out what Ben Sawyer says...

Hi everyone,

Not to sound like a broken record but if you plan to attend Games for Health in June it's a good idea, almost necessary idea, to book your hotel before 5/16 or you could be paying more or without a room altogether.

The link to book your room is here:

> https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=8249983

You should also buy your ticket as we'll be raising prices a bit as things get closer.

> The direct link to registration is:

> http://www.regonline.com/gbew2012

Best,

Ben

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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.

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Exergaming could be the answer to shifting those extra seasonal pounds

By Rebecca Monks, Scotland On Sunday

http://www.scotsman.com/scotland-on-sunday/the-week/andrew-eaton-lewis/exergaming_could_be_the_answer_to_shifting_those_extra_seasonal_pounds_1_2044021

The term couch potato was once reserved for anybody who favoured a life spent in the living

Then the games console was invented. Children replaced playgrounds with PlayStations, adults were racing virtual sports cars rather than each other, and a brand new type of potato was born: the gamer.room over one in the great outdoors.

With this came questions. How would it impact on the health of the future generation? And if watching that episode of Friends for the 50th time had the power to keep potatoes on the couch and away from the gym, what damage could an Xbox do?

It is estimated that eight out of ten households in the UK now own a gaming console, but while the popularity of the industry has surged, so too have fears over rising obesity levels. Not least in Scotland, where between 1995 and 2010 the proportion of adults aged 16 to 64 who were overweight or obese (BMI of 25 or more) increased from 52.4 per cent to 63.3 per cent.

Yet just as it seemed likely that the country’s obesity crisis was going to be blamed on the latest version of Crash Bandicoot, there came an interesting development. Exercise gaming, pioneered by the Nintendo Wii in 2006, was born. Picking up on the popularity of sports games, Wii encouraged people to join in with the activities on screen, increasing exercise levels while capitalising on the popularity of the gaming culture.

The Wii enables players to participate in a wide variety of sports, from bowling to tennis and water skiing, all from the comfort of the living room. But has gaming evolved into something truly positive for fitness?

Exergaming is now so ubiquitous, every leading console is promoting its own fitness game. And it is not difficult to understand the appeal. A combination of busy lifestyles and a fascination with new technology mean the concept of exercising at home is unquestionably viable. One man who understands the appeal more than most is the CEO of Gamercize, Richard Coshott. “I came across the concept of gaming exercise one school summer holiday on a particularly pleasant day, when I suggested to my sons that we play football in the garden. At the time they were playing FIFA on the PlayStation, and would rather carry on in the World Cup than have a kick-about in the garden. When I insisted they put down the controller and play outside, I realised how out of condition they were from a ‘play’ regime of electronic sports and decided I needed to do something”.

Seeing his sons’ reaction to exercise gaming encouraged Coshott to create Gamercize, a company that markets interactive exercise products to work alongside Xbox, PlayStation and Wii. He explains, “The exercise needed to power the controller becomes automatic and unnoticeable to the brain, making the exercise element sustainable, which leads to real health benefits such as weight control, lower resting heart rate and improved physical co-ordination.”

Promoters are going out of their way to prove exergaming has real health benefits, yet there are still some significant concerns. Coshott admits the contactless nature of the workout increases the risk of injury, while the lack of encouragement from a virtual trainer may lead to a dip in enthusiasm. Furthermore, a study by the medical journal Paediatrics found the average session on Wii boxing, for example, amounted to the same amount of exercise as moderate walking. So perhaps it’s a bit too soon to be burning our gym membership cards.

Interestingly, Health Scotland has reported that during the week, boys spend an average of 31 minutes a day playing games consoles. If those 31 minutes were spent in active gaming, it could go some way to meeting the national guidelines for physical activity. After all, even 31 minutes of moderate walking, aka Wii boxing, is better than sitting still; and if gaming is as popular as the statistics suggest, exercise gaming could be considered a productive way to help achieve a national goal.

Is exergaming deterring people from attending the gym? Though the year on year statistics suggest that, on average, gym memberships fell 16 per cent last year, the likes of David Lloyd Leisure seem untroubled.

Group health and fitness manager Rob Beale says, “Gaming has perhaps attracted a new type of exerciser, but being part of a health club is an entirely different offering, so I don’t expect this to have any negative effects.”

Now, it seems the future of fitness is choice. Game on!!

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Making a Splash in the World of Exergaming!

a.k.a. the big (belly) flop!

I have been in the world of exergaming for a few years, and seen some "Big Splashes" on in the industry. Pretty much every single one of these has been quickly followed by the inevitable "sinking like a stone" without trace.

On the products side does anyone remember BodyPad? No? Let's try something more mainstream then, Fitbit, Nintendo's Vitality Sensor, Big Ben Cyberbike? All of these products have had a big money launches, lots of people jumping on the bandwagon in supporting the hype, but all have been forgotten as quickly as they were announced.

There are also consumer targeted games, mostly on the Wii platform, that have made the headlines, but failed to leave a subscript in the world of exergaming. In fact there are too many of these titles to mention, they come and go too often.

I must stand in defense of exergaming - these are not failed attempts at exergaming - these failed products represent failed attempts to make a quick buck. They miss the point; exergaming is all about sustainability, all about delivering the goods not the hype and everything to do with making a difference not a focus on making a steal.

Although it is disappointing to see this "easy and cheap" attitude, it does go to show that exergaming has a profile that's now being noticed by very many, and this in itself tells me that exergaming is here to stay! There are many examples of products and people that are genuine, put the effort in and have real worth. The world of exergaming is getting bigger and I'll not say "wait to see what comes next"; rather "wait to see what we can do more!".

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