Lost pounds equals high scores

Video games have always been a more preferred pastime than any form of exercise, and this has contributed to the increased rate of obesity in America. Combining exercise and video games seems to be generating a lot of interest, and it’s a trend that may forever change the way people work out. Growing up as a chubby kid it was easy to find solace in video games, but the desire to combine activity and games was one I was always interested in; it even contributed to one of the worst gaming purchases I ever made.

Those of you who remember a time when Sega was a power in the console war may recall a bizarre device called the Activator; worst hundred bucks I ever spent. You used your arms and legs to break invisible infrared beams that would have results similar to pressing a button on a game controller. It was quite a workout, but it made for a lousy controller, often leaving you dazed and confused from trying to coordinate what each beam did. Aside from being a reminder to be wise with money, it’s now being used as a Stargate for my…I mean my cousin’s action figures.

Even before the Activator, there was the Nintendo Power Pad, and before that the Atari Puffer bike. When Dance Dance Revolution came into existence gamers really got off their butts and started moving. But it wasn’t until Sony’s Eye Toy that games were made with the sole theme of fitness, and the Wii took the concept of moving as a control method to the next level with motion sensor technology. The results have games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit making people sweat.

Somewhere along the line, the goals of making gamers more active and using video games as an exercise tool became intertwined. The results could mean better and more enjoyable game control for more than just exercising games. Several games are currently in development with the Wii Balance Board in mind, such as Don King Presents Prize Fighter, Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party, and Shaun White Snowboarding.

But what does the future of fitness gaming hold outside of the home console market? Companies like eXergame Fitness and XerGames Technology, Inc. produce the arcade equivalent of games like Wii Fit. These exercise machines include familiar technology like the interactive floor surface technology found in DDR, as well as vertical treadmills for rock climbing and other systems like the Sportswall. Most of these machines can probably be found at your local YMCA, or a fitness facility near you. This equipment may not appeal to the gamer in you, but it certainly seems like it will make exercising a lot more fun.

The future of fitness seems like it will be advanced through game technology more than fitness-advancing games, but the future image of gamers looks to be a much healthier one. The best part: either way, we’ll have fun getting there.