Once again, just for fun, but with a serious note on sustainability. It's a key concept for Gamercize and an all to often seen flaw for exergaming, so do take a listen. If the player isn't visible below - watch on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHhLrEC5J2E
Technology in Schools Produces Results!
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!!
a.k.a. the big (belly) flop!
Virtual Fun or Real Fun?
| NOW | WAS | TITLE | PUBLISHER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | Formula One 2010 (F1) Microsoft Xbox 360 | Codemasters | |
| 3 | 4 | FIFA 11 (2011) Sony Playstation 3 | EA | |
| 4 | 6 | FIFA 11 (2011) Microsoft Xbox 360 | EA | |
| 5 | 9 | PES 2011: Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 Sony Playstation 3 | Konami | |
| 6 | 13 | Formula One 2010 (F1) PC | Codemasters | |
| 7 | 14 | Call of Duty Black Ops Microsoft Xbox 360 | Activision | |
| 8 | 18 | Dead Rising 2 Microsoft Xbox 360 | Capcom | |
| 9 | 17 | Call of Duty Black Ops- Hardened Edition Microsoft Xbox 360 | Activision | |
| 10 | 12 | Gran Turismo 5 Sony Playstation 3 | Sony |
Active Gaming without the Game?
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.
The Aussies know a thing or two about fun, Brett Young from ExergamingAustralia explains "Play" for adults.
So, in the context of play we ‘exercise’. Adults go the gym and ‘lift’ weights, ‘do’ aerobics classes, ‘have’ a fitness boxing sessions or ‘get’ yelled at in boot camp or personal training sessions. But wait you say, adults do ‘play sport’, they ‘play cards’ they ‘play with their kids’ and yes you’re right, in the context of an associated activity we play, as that makes playing legitimate and gives the activity credence and acceptability…but, I would argue that adults do not simply play. Or do we? There is one obvious activity where adults are allowed to play and that’s with PC, video or board games so we do ‘play games’. FYI: The average age of a gamer in Australia is 30! Not 3, 12 or 18 but 30…well and truly adult status. So adults can play games, interesting.
Well now, a breakthrough. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could re-engineer those games to maintain the fun and entertainment aspects AND make them as energetic as real play. Wouldn’t it be great if there were adult technology games that we play, that make us fitter and healthier? Well, we do and would you believe that this genre has been developing since 1982! It began with an Amiga game that used a peripheral amazingly similar to the Nintendo Wii Fit Balance Board. This new entertainment fitness game genre was called Exergaming, and boy has it come on leaps and strides since 1982.
It’s perhaps only over the last decade that the technology for exergaming has become truly feasible. Many of the technological advances in miniaturization, reduction in manufacturing costs, lightweight materials etc, has made domestic exergaming products affordable and family friendly. I suppose this is most readily demonstrated by the wireless motion-sensing platform of the Nintendo Wii. So exergaming has truly come of age, and this is just the beginning!
To borrow a line from Ironman 2, “..technology will make anything possible..”, that is certainly debatable, but it is true that it has made exergaming possible and lately, highly effective. PLAY on the other hand costs nothing, requires nothing except imagination, perhaps a stick, and a rock. PLAY is the polar opposite of technology, so you would think mixing the two would produce nothing but a malfunctioning malady, in reality it has produced a past time that makes it okay for adults to play, it makes play credible and still fun. At Exergaming Australia, we use the essence of this morphing of technology and play in our motto – ‘Serious Fun’.
So, what’s wrong with fitness today. Well for a start, it certainly isn’t play. It’s a ‘serious’ minded activity. Fitness and exercise have become billion dollar industries where ‘fun’ and ‘Play’ have no role to play, so to speak. Fitness has become very serious business, very complicated and very expensive with a lot of companies and individuals becoming celebrities simply because they yell louder and have considerably larger biceps than we mere mortals have. But I wonder how many people think this kind of combative fitness is actually fun? We’ve become accustomed to militant combat or mixed martial arts classes or fitness boxing, and there is certainly no doubting the effectiveness of these methods, they work very well, but they are not for everyone, around 85% of us in fact! Perhaps we should all join the armed forces and be forced to get fit, at least then we could get paid to improve our fitness, as it stands now WE are paying the armed forces to get us fit!
My point is, fitness and exercise, constructed around activities that supposably motivate us due to yelling and screaming ex-military personnel, is not play it’s not entertainment and it’s certainly not fun. It is effective however, no denying that, but it is NOT fun!
Think about when we were kids, when we simply played because it was fun. We never thought about the fitness benefits as we bounded about playgrounds or slogged cricket balls over the back fence. We had boundless energy because we were kids, we were having fun and we did it day after day as a result. Our parents would have been grateful to see us playing as we were entertaining ourselves and out from under their feet, but I bet they never thought, “great, Brett is really improving his aerobic fitness with those short burst between the wickets in cricket”. Nevertheless, play is just for children isn’t it? Adults must do adult things like workout and workup a sweat and just work. Well, I beg to differ!
Again, Exergaming turns modern concepts of exercise on its head. We return to the notion of Play and Fun. If we are truly enjoying what we are doing, we’ll keep doing it willingly, will-power won’t enter into it, we will no longer have to gee ourselves up, torment ourselves with guilt so as to motivate ourselves back to the gym. Exergaming is intrinsically self-motivating as it is entertaining, fun AND physically beneficial – win, win and win. So what is it about exergaming that separates it from normal fitness and exercise activites?
1. I know I’ve mentioned it ’several’ times already, but I must emphasize the fun factor. Exergaming takes the best entertainment technologies available (in games, movies, music and software) and then makes those activities physically challenging. It also requires that the best exergames are fun first and fitness second. That certainly doesn’t mean fitness is ‘secondary’, quite the opposite, it actually means fitness can be inherently fun, thus sustainable like when we played as kids, day after day, year after year.
2. Exergaming is born from computer & console gaming it therefore inherits some of the most powerful and engaging aspects of gaming, namely:
a. Mutliplayer – you can play cooperatively or competitively with your friends, family and mates.
b. Online Multiplayer – as above but you can do so against or with people all round the world 24/7.
3. Results ‘NOW’ – Fitness activities, especially those requiring us to lose weight or simply get fitter can make progress seem excruciatingly slow and tedious, which makes it extremely difficult to stay motivated. Exergaming often has very detailed feedback data, which is tremendously valuable in tracking your progress instantly. Exergaming can tell you your game score, the accuracy of your movements, the power of your blows, the timing of your steps, the speed of your punches, the quality of your cognition and much much more. This gives you direct and immediate feedback on your progress and is tremendously motivating. You use that recorded data as a motivation to improve your previous scores, or to beat a family members score or perhaps even someone who has left their score on a social network site that you visit. Trying to improve your results requires you to be fitter, stronger, more agile more focused more rhythmical and be better at playing the game.
4. Exergaming is geared up for Social Networking. Exergaming is a natural fit for sharing your results, swapping stories and sharing strategies online and in group forums and chat applications like Facebook. Gamers have been sharing statistics online since the internet began and have created vast online communities who support their past times actively and vigorously.
Thanks to Gamercize for the use of the playful picture
5. Exergaming is incredibly accessible – The best Exergames allow people of any physical ability and age to participate together, in the same class at the same time and even compete against each other equally! This flexibility is intrinsic in Exergaming and allows people of any generation to share an activity in synchronicity. This makes Exergaming wonderfully accessible to everyone, everywhere and again enhances the socializing affects of adult playtime, what normal fitness methods call ‘fitness and exercise activities’.
Take your pick, would you prefer to have fun first and get a fantastic fitness benefit from your playtime or make that concerted effort to motivate yourself to the gym and the cardio machine factory that waits in steely silence? My choice is clear: Playtime – GAME ON!
(Via http://exergamingaustralia.com/2010/05/exergaming-playtime-for-adults/)
With the average gamer age in the thirties and sophisticated online high definition blockbusters titles, the adults get their fair share of screen time too. Time pressed adults can now take advantage of gym quality exercise while they game, with the new Gamercize Spin Trainer.
The Gamercize Spin Trainer brings hard core exercise and hard core gaming together for the first time. The commercial grade active gaming bike is no pint sized plastic wannabe, the sturdy all metal construction is built to last as long as the appeal of gaming itself.
Reliability is assured thanks to the unique patented Gamercize design that uses only exercise motion detection, to enable or disable the player’s game controller. So long as the player is exercising, the game play is as compelling and engaging as the developer intended allowing any game to be an “exergame”.
Standard trim is available in red or blue, with a limited edition black version available for all preferences. In detail the 13kg cast iron spin disc provides a gym quality workout and the four adjustable feet enhance the perfectly solid feel. Forearm rests are provided for a racing stance to active gaming, or the GZ Spin Trainer can be used at a more leisurely pace sitting upright.
Smooth continuous exercise allows all the latest High Definition games to be played with ease on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC. All existing games are compatible and every new game purchase brings new motivation to be fitter and burn calories.
Gamercize is the workout that never gets boring, thanks to the high quality of the thousands of games that are supported, representing unrivaled flexibility and value for money. Order your Gamercize Spin Trainer from all good exergaming outlets or direct (http://www.gamercizeshop.com) from Monday.
Companies Cashing In or Checking Out?
International active gaming company Gamercize, today announces the keep fit gadget to revolutionize the way people keep in shape - iPedals. The new product, iPedals, uses patented Gamercize technology to turn any family car into a gym on the go.
The concept of iPedals (priced at $299**) allows the driver to operate the vehicle only while pedalling on the high quality mini cycle installed into the driver foot well. Conventional foot controls of the vehicle are moved to "race car" style paddles on the steering wheel. So long as the driver is exercising, the throttle, brakes and steering remain connected. Stopping exercise disconnects the cars controls, reminding the user to keep moving to maintain control.
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