Two decades ago, Nintendo published the first edition of Nintendo Power magazine and their 8-Bit Entertainment System remained the state of the art in the industry. Interaction with games remained limited to a fusillade of finger tapping on a wired controller, which made gaming a largely sedentary activity. As a result, the growth of home gaming led many researchers to link the activity to obesity (see Center for Advanced Health). Fast forward to today and the story couldn't be more different: Nintendo is leading the way in full physical immersion with the Fit series on its Wii console, which allows players to more meaningfully interact with games. No longer constrained by a static feedback between player and game, Nintendo has taken exergaming to an entirely new level and shifted gaming from a passive activity to a full body workout (see BMJ Medical Journal).
Exergaming is simply the extension of video game controllers from static inputs to a full body interaction, which gives the games an exercise element. With advances in feedback controls for the Wii, games can utilize a whole series of interactive controllers to direct in-game movement. Dating back to the 1980s, there have been a number of exergaming devices, starting with the Nintendo Power Pad, which allowed gamers to control in-game movements through a pressure-sensitive exercise mat. Most commonly used in the game World Class Track Meet, the controller had a number of compatible games and laid the groundwork for future releases such as Dance, Dance Revolution (DDR) in 1998. DDR became the first mass-market, exergaming success, selling millions of dance simulation copies world wide and spawning a number of sequels and clones. In the game, players adjust their feet on a motion-sensitive control bad to the rhythm of a given song, requiring players to move rapidly in shifts as quick as 1/32 notes. Requiring coordination and fast-twitch muscle movement, the game even became integrated into school curriculum in West Virginia (see New
York Times).
As the design of interactive games has evolved, workouts are shifting to providing a full-body cardiovascular workout. The Gamercize add-on, for example, allows gamers to utilize a complete array of workout machines, ranging from exercise bikes to elliptical machines, to work many major muscle groups while they play. The Yourself Fitness game series for Playstation, Xbox and PC develops games which provide direct exercise instruction and tracking, although the games require an external monitor to provide a full feedback element. With activities ranging from Yoga and Pilates, Yourself Fitness provides a virtual gym.
The recently released Wii Fit game takes the genre to a new level by allowing full-body, direct interaction through the Wii Balance Board controller. Gamers can build up strength through a variety of directed exercises ranging from lower body exercises such as aerobics and balance games to upper body activities such as push ups and strength training. With complete physical activity tracking, Wii Fit has taken exergaming to the next level to provide a complete full-body workout.
About the author
This guest post was written by Maya Richard, who writes about Cell Phones. She can be reached via email at mayarichard at gmail.