Active Video Gaming for Fitness and Exercise

Showing posts with label videogames. Show all posts

Sunday, July 15

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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Thursday, February 18

Why Video Game Timers are the Worst Idea of the 21st Century

Gaming on the Clock? Game Over!

As long ago as 2007 the concept of limiting time playing video games was introduced by Microsoft, with the Xbox Family Timer. This "innovation" was even recognized by the UK government in it's Foresight Strategy for public health. While the idea of shutting a games console off after a period of time appeals to some, the idea has fundamental flaws which in reality have a negative effect on health.

Firstly the system timers for the major consoles and the third party system timers for generic "game over" experiences fail to address a simple problem. If a parent can't limit the time a child spends on a computer game then how does parental control of a timer help? The kids know who's setting the rules and parental conflict cannot be avoided. Kids are not so limited in their intelligence to realize that "the computer says no" is actually parental proxy.

Say, for example, a system timer is set for an hour and the child starts playing at 6pm. What happens at 7pm? Gaming is over, so will the child instantly go outside and play basketball or run around the yard playing soccer? No. They will most probably replace the games console for the TV that (unlike gaming) gives them a better opportunity to snack on unhealthy food. If a parent can't limit gaming time without a crude off timer, then what chance do they have to limit snacks?

The most important reason game timers are utterly stupid ideas is that they have been designed by people who do not understand gaming at all. Can you shut a game down at a predetermined time? No. How many times have the cries of "I'll just save the game" been heard by parents (and spouses!) to the demand to stop playing? How about "when this match is over" when playing online? You can't shut a game down in an instant, its just not helpful and makes the player resent the timer even more.

What can we do about this? Well how about using Gamercize instead. This device makes all games (online or offline) active with enough exercise to count as a competitive sport. So if you child (or husband!) wants to play an extra 15 minutes to get to a save point or the end of a match, you can let them... knowing it's another 160+ kcals burnt or another quarter of an hour towards the 60 min a day exercise target.

Sometimes you have to admit that the most simple solutions are the best, and if gaming is inactive, make it active. Don't change the rules, change the game or reduce the experience... make a smarter choice with a simpler solution.

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Thursday, October 15

Video Games Saving the Planet - Blog Action Day

Online Gamercize Tournament Equivalent to planting 140 trees!

Today, October 15, is "Blog Action Day", when we have a unique opportunity to show how our specific areas of expertise relate to the theme of Climate Change.

As the utility bills come in it is easy to see the cost of energy is rising painfully. Apart from the cash cost of using fuel there is also the environmental costs, which is the focus of the blogging event. Climate change impact is most easily measured by carbon calculations.

Most people can have a little leeway in the miles they drive or tweaking the temperature setting by a few degrees, but the most obvious cost and carbon saver is the voluntary activities of leisure and sport.

I looked into what Gamercize's online exergaming tournament cost in terms of carbon, and what it would have cost had we flown one of the teams to make the event a face-to-face competition.

Taking into account heat, light, transport, electricity for consoles and equipment we used less than 6 lbs of carbon per participant for the tournament; going online with Xbox 360 for the games and Gamercize for the exercise. Next I ran the numbers again, this time as if we flew one team between California and England. We came out at more than 2,800 lbs of carbon per participant.

Although I am not a great fan of carbon offsetting (i.e. just use less energy to start with!), I checked, and in order to offset a face-to-face tournament against the actual online Gamercize tournament would have required planting 140 trees. What is more the competitors had a great day as you can see from the TV reports from both sides of the Atlantic in this video below.

So the next time someone asks you what your are doing playing video games, you can say, quite literally, "I'm saving the planet". For other ways to save the planet, check out Blog Action Day at http://www.blogactionday.org/!