Gamercize at Games for Health 2011

Gamercize Pro-Sport for Xbox 360 Lights up GFH

I have been to the Games for Health conference before and the return to Boston was always going to promise something special. After the school and PE focus of national AAHPERD in San Diego a month earlier, this conference takes out the teachers and replaces them with academics.

I attended to support Gamercize primarily, which was exhibited at the conference by Motion Fitness in the Exergaming Tent. Gamercize was more than a product on show, however, with many of the presentations using the equipment as an example of exergaming.

One of the most notable mentions of Gamercize was from President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Shellie Pfohl. You may have remembered my post on her visit to the University of South Florida's active gaming labs, with thanks to, and run by Lisa Witherspoon (http://gamercize.blogspot.com/2010/11/healthy-people-of-tomorrow-play-video.html)

In Shellie's presentation she talked passionately about exergaming as a motivator to health and fitness, making an example of the Gamercize Power Stepper used with Toy Story 3 there, saying "I experienced it, I witnessed it and I thought it was pretty cool." I would agree with her that in the hands on consumers en-mass, there would be some positive results.

Meanwhile, back in the Exergaming tent I was introduced to officials of the National Active Gaming League (NAGL), a brainchild of Dr Ernie Medina. It did not take much introduction before the game was on!

At Games for Health we had the advantage of the new Afterglow controllers for Xbox 360 used with our Gamercize equipment. These definitely add another dimension to the experience of playing real video games with real exercise!

As for the score in the FIFA match I played... No comment!

My schedule in the US has been hectic but enjoyable over the last two and a half years, with visits to many US cities and I'm happy with what we have done over there. There are emerging markets in Asia, Europe and the Middle East which will benefit from my experience stateside, which is where my focus moves now having built the presence required to keep Gamercize rocking in the Land of the Free!

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Exergaming putting PE in the news (Video)

Gamercize in Tampa, helping kids get active!

Children are supposed to get 60 minutes of exercise a day, and that's often not happening. With child obesity rates rising and kids interest in physical education dropping, educators are constantly trying to craft new and exciting ways to get kids pumped about fitness.

Lisa Hansen is leading the way with research and practical application of exergaming in schools. The USF Research Labs are showing that technology and PE can co-exist with results that the kids love!

Video games and physical fitness: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com

Originally posted by The Exergame Network blog - http://exergamenetwork.blogspot.com/2011/03/exergaming-putting-pe-in-news-video.html

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Gamercize - The Story So Far

Check out this video to look back at the Gamercize story over the last five years!

The first five years of Gamercize active gaming has delivered real exercise to work with real games.

Patented technology provides the immersion of the very best gaming has to offer, with genuine heart pumping workouts at a level you choose. There is no finer exergame for the millions of true gamers playing the latest games co-op, solo and online. If you want to know what we have for 2011, click here:http://www.gamercizeshop.com

Gamercize - Reach the Next Level - http://www.gamercize.net

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Active Gaming meets PE in Greensboro

What did we LEARN from Southern District NC AAHPERD?

Active Gaming (or exergaming) is basically technology meeting physical activity. Which is a good thing, unless you're a PE teacher!

Exergaming is not bad for PE, but the way it is portrayed is poor in the eyes of the quality PE professional. Physical activity, for a start, is the age old nemesis that devalues PE from a taught subject to an organized recess. This message towards schools needs to change from exergaming, and the game changers where in Greensboro to do just that!

The representation of Kymm Ballard from SPARK at the recent AAHPERD conference brought good focus to the exergaming world as to what PE really is. Setting out a curric

ulum of physical learning, and using the skills of the teacher and the resources available to meet objectives is key. PE Students should come out of a class having learned something, and understood they have learned it too!

I chose this slide out of all others from Lisa Hansen's presentation on Active Gaming because it illustrates the reaction to a poor exergaming message.

If exergaming can't speak the same language as PE or share objectives, then the old mistakes will be repeated and we will all have let the kids down.

The presentation was about technology, and asked some core questions about not just active gaming but about quality PE. The focus was learning. One demonstration held for the presentation was how an exergame, Gamercize specifically, can be applied by teachers as a tool to make learning fun! We showed how you can teach soccer tactics, and yes, the kids break a sweat while learning so!

So what did we learn from NC AAHPERD - Exergaming can be an appropriate tool to make teaching PE easier in certain respects, certainly more engaging for the hard-to-reach student, but we also learned that exergaming needs to fit in with PE, not the other way round!

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Gamercize School Handbook

Your Guide to Implementing Active Gaming Technology in Schools

This handbook is for all teachers and principles looking for the practical side of technology for physically active learning, exergaming PE and using technology to improve physical activity uptake.

Open publication - Free publishing - More video games

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Gamercize in Active Gaming Schools

Welcome to Westminster Primary School, the first of five schools in a three year Westminster pilot study. This school is equipped with the Gamercize Kids-Sport for ages seven to eleven. When the kids are stepping their controller lights up and they can play normal video games, if they stop exercise the controller is disabled and the game pauses. They have to start stepping again to play. This is great visual feedback of the Gamercize interaction that keeps kids moving!



We are now at Westminster Academy in London, the second school of the Westminster Project, for the older children aged eleven to sixteen. We are looking at the positive effects Gamercize has on engaging the children in exercise to provide not only physical activity minutes, but to also improve learning and skill development. The equipment being used here is the award winning Gamercize Pro-Sport. These children are using their Gamercize Power Steppers to keep the controllers lit, so they can play great games on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.



There is a wide variety of age-appropriate games for the kids to use and keep them entertained while they meet health, fitness and cognitive objectives. Student mentors help get the younger kids started, but the appeal of Gamercize is wide enough, even the teachers are immersed in active gaming.



To find out why Gamercize has been voted by the public as Best PE Exergame Of the Year and to browse the range of home , work and school equipment, see our website http://www.gamercize.net

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Gamercize Voted Best Physical Education Exergame of 2010

The Gamercize Pro-Sport active gaming accessory as been chosen “Best Physical Education Exergame” by public vote in The Exergame Network Awards. Gamercize was nominated in four other categories, also being voted “Best Competition Exergame”. The Exergame Network (TEN) held the first ever public voting for awards relating to active video games with results announced this week. Of the fifteen award categories, Gamercize products were nominated for Best Physical Education Exergame, Best Competition Exergame, Best Group Exergame and Best Brain (Training) Exergame.

The Gamercize Pro-Sport range, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii was the public choice for Best Physical Education and Best Competition Exergame of 2010. The international awards reflect public recognition of Gamercize used in schools around the world, available to educators with distribution hubs in America, Middle East, Asia and Europe. “The nominations and awards mean a lot to Gamercize, and are testament to the hard work everyone has put into the company, our partners and distributors over the last five years. The awards mean a great deal to me personally being public votes, my goal is to make a difference to the young people of today and help them lead a healthy life rather than be an obesity statistic. I think we’ve demonstrated we can achieve this goal, and the recognition through these awards will encourage us to keep expanding the benefits of Gamercize to more and more children. Thank you to everyone who voted for us!” says Gamercize Founder and CEO Richard Coshott The effectiveness of Gamercize in schools that these awards recognise is currently being tested in the biggest pilot of its kind in schools in Westminster, London. The project measures health, fitness and cognitive outcomes from getting kids active with Gamercize, covering five schools over three years in partnership with top industry consultants such as, Dr Ernie Medina, Stephen Yang and Judy Shasek under the lead of Dr Michael Duncan. Results in real world operation from the Westminster Project are expected to ratify research study results that have proven Gamercize as effective in terms of both energy expenditure and sustainability for health impact. For more information on Gamercize for schools, see the official Gamercize websitehttp://www.gamercize.net and order from your local distributor or directly from the webshop athttp://www.gamercizeshop.com # # # Gamercize, the company behind world-wide patented exergaming accessories for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation3, Wii, PS2, Xbox and Gamecube. Products encourage exercise motivation by making fitness fun for schools, home and office. See http://www.gamercize.net

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Kinect Wins Top International Exergaming Award

Microsoft Kinect has been awarded the top accolade by public vote in The Exergame Network Awards 2010. Fifteen categories covered the new generation of Active Video Games with nominations from industry experts and public votes from around the world.



In the category for Best Home Exergame of 2010, Microsoft’s Kinect Sports has taken the honours with the majority of the public vote. Nintendo Wii Fit and Sports achieved significant victories in awards for older exergamers and rehabilitation.



”The inaugural TEN Awards is a significant initiative to raise public awareness of the commercial grade Exergaming solutions available world wide and to honour the key pioneering manufacturers in this exciting health and fitness genre” says Brett Young, founding member of The Exergame Network and CEO of Exergaming Australia.



The full results of The Exergame Network Awards 2010 are as follows;

- Best Children's Exergame - WINNER: Dance Dance Revolution Disney Grooves by Konami

- Best Physical Education Exergame - WINNER: Gamercize Pro-Sport for Wii

- Best Seniors Exergame - WINNER: Nintendo Wii Sports Bowling

- Best Accessibility Exergame - WINNER: Nintendo Wii Sports

- Best Home Dance Exergame - WINNER: Konami DDR

- Best Commercial Grade Dance Exergame - WINNER: Positive Gaming iDANCE2

- Best Exergame Fitness Avatar - WINNER: Wii Yoga

- Best Rehabilitation Exergame - WINNER: Nintendo Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus

- Best Group Exergame - WINNER: Positive Gaming iDANCE2

- Best Gateway Exergame - WINNER: Nintendo Wii Sports

- Best Competition Exergame - WINNER: Gamercize Pro-Sport for Xbox 360

- Best Brain Exergame - WINNER: NeuroActive BrainBike

- Best Music in an Exergame - WINNER: Positive Gaming iDANCE2

- Best Commercial Exergame 2010 - WINNER: Positive Gaming iDANCE2

- Best Home Exergame 2010 - WINNER: Microsoft Kinect Sports



”The first ever TEN Awards is a great step in helping both consumers and healthcare professionals know where to start when trying to select (or recommend) an exergame for their particular need. The voting was from a wide array of exergaming enthusiasts from around the globe. I believe this is a great start and hope that this will encourage game developers and exergaming manufacturers to continue to produce great products and raise the field of exergaming” says Dr. Ernie Medina, Jr., DrPH, founding member of The Exergame Network, CEO of MedPlay Technologies, and the “Exergaming Evangelist/Interventionist”.



The full nominations and results are available on The Exergame Network website at http://www.exergamenetwork.org/ and an analysis of the voting data will be provided later this year through TEN member and Co-Director of the USF Active Gaming Labs, Dr Lisa Hansen. The Exergame Network can be joined or contacted via LinkedIn, Facebook, Wiki, Twitter or by email at info@exergamenetwork.org

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Study: Xbox is better exercise than Wii

Active Gaming Proved To Keep Kids Interested

Two major criticisms of using active gaming for physical activity are the lack of exercise compared to traditional activity and the expectation that kids easily get fed up with the new way of moving.

Two linked studies in the United Kingdom have tackled these issues head-on by trialling active gaming in a free-play environment. Two schools in the Midlands undertook a medium term study using popular active games compared against free play in the playground.

The effort that the kids expended was converted into “steps” to make the results comparable between the playground and the video games. The initial study, over six weeks used Nintendo Wii Sports active play compared with the baseline of traditional play. The results showed that in week one the Wii was king of the calories, keeping kids 25% more active than the playground.

After the first week, the criticisms of boredom and poor exercise appeared well founded, as Wii exercise floundered to a poor 65% of traditional activity. The study was then repeated, this time using Xbox and Gamercize Power Steppers. The results, unexpectedly, turned the thinking about the shortcomings of active gaming on its head.

For the second data collection, the kids had to keep moving on the Gamercize steppers to power their controllers and play the game, which would pause if they stopped moving. Normal video games are compatible with Gamercize and games such as Lego Star Wars and FIFA were used.

The Gamercize results were similar to Nintendo’s results for week one, reflecting the kids excitement of “something new”. What happened next was unexpected. Rather than the initial interest tailing off like it did with Wii, the combination of Xbox and Gamercize kept the kids playing, engaged and active throughout the entire study period.

The Wii data supported the loss of interest and lack of exercise critisims of active gaming, but Gamercize for Xbox did not suffer a lack of interest over time or a drop in physical activity. What can we conclude from this? As a physical activity intervention, Gamercize uses the attraction of videogames to keep the kids engaged and the patented Gamercize approach of minimal interaction kept the kids active the whole time.

Results of the Gamercize study have been presented at the European Child Obesity Group. Reference: Duncan, M. J., Birch, S., Woodfield, L., Hankey, J. (2010) An evaluation of a 5-week, school-based, exergaming intervention using the Gamercize power stepper on body mass index and physical activity during school lunch breaks in British primary school children. Proceedings of the 20th Annual Workshop of the European Child Obesity Group, Nov 17-20th, Brussels, Belgium.

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Active Gaming is a Glowing Success in School

Gamercize Nominated for PE in The Exergame Network Awards

PE In London took a step forwards with the start of the Gamercize pilot in Westminster schools. A primary and secondary school in the first year of the project cover the age range of 5 years old up to 16 years old children.

The project is measuring health, social and fitness benefits from the application and integration of the Gamercize technology in the form of after school clubs, curriculum boosted learning and PE classes.

With the introduction of PDP Afterglow controllers with Gamercize on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 the project is all set for engaging kids for the long run. Kids love this new twist to active game play!

The start of the project is just one of three good news stories for Gamercize this month. Gamercize has been nominated in four categories in The Exergame Network Awards 2010. These are;

#2 Best Physical Education Exergame with Gamercize Sport for Wii

#9 Best Group Exergame with Gamercize Pro-Sport with Xbox LIVE

#11 Best "Head-to-Head" Competition Exergame with Gamercize Pro-Sport for Xbox 360

#12 Best Brain Exergame with Gamercize PC-Sport

You can vote for these at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/421003/TEN, and also vote for the hottest category "Best Home Exergame 2010" that has the nominations including Microsoft Kinect Sports, PlayStation Move (Start the Party), Wii Sports Resort, EA Sports Active 2 and Ubisoft's Just Dance for Wii.

The final great news this month is results from research carried out at Coventry University that shows (in unstructured free play) that Gamercize is comparable in terms of activity and engagement to kids active play in recess.

Why is this great news? The study was first run with Nintendo Wii that could only sustain interest and activity for the first week of six, while Gamercize was sustainable for the entire six week study period.

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