FEATURE
The Gaming Diet
getting in shape with video games
Chris Harris stretches his arms and positions his legs on the platform. He chooses the song, "Cowgirl," a favorite among the group, except Harris plays it on "expert." Lights flash on the screen, a "let's go!" comes from the speakers, and Harris is ready to dance. // STEPH SCHNEIDER // photo illustrations by JERPY WANG
STEPH SCHNEIDER
photo illustrations by JERRYWANG
Left, right, back and forward his legs move. The Nike symbol on his tennis shoes almost seems blurred. Bouncing back and forth, Harris begins to work up a sweat. About 50 seconds later the song ends and Harris waits for his score. A++, and a dance combo of 80. Harris walks off, pleased with his performance.
Harris has just finished playing the video game Dance Dance Revolution. But he's not at an arcade; he's at a KU exercise class devoted specifically to the game.
Dance, aerobics, kickboxing, and other forms of physical activity through "exergaming" are becoming increasingly popular, and are now being seen as a legitimate way to get regular exercise.
Wii Fit is the latest exergame that is bringing the gym to its players. My roommate recently brought up Wii Fit from home, which makes new workouts convenient and fun. Electronic beeps and bops echo in my living room, and the absence of treadmills, stair climbers, and smelly people is refreshing. The games may be virtual, but the calories
The point of exergaming is to make working out more fun than walking or running on a treadmill, says Connor Williams, Lawrence Athletic Club employee. "It's not just lifting weights and riding a bike. People stay more interested," Williams says.
Marketed as the first video game that can be used as a workout tool, Wii Fit has proven to get both kids and adults off their butts. In January and February, Wii Fit was the best-selling video game in the U.S., selling more than six million units, according to market researcher NPD group.
burned are real.
Wii Fit uses a handheld remote controller that sends messages to a video screen as players go through the motions just like playing a video game. Their movements control a "mii," an on-screen character modeled after themselves. When the player does a push-up, the mii does a push-up. Wii Fit users can try yoga, strength exercises, aerobic exercises and balance games, while stepping and rotating around on a movement-sensitive board and following an on-screen trainer.
August 20,2009
The predecessor to Wii Fit was Dance Dance Revolution, the game that got its players hopping and dancing enthusiastically in an arcade and now in front of their TV sets. Since coming out in 1998, the various editions of Dance Dance Revolution games have sold millions of copies worldwide. DDR helped launch the exergame industry, Ian Bogost, author of the The Rhetoric of Exergaming, says.
The DDR idea is simple: Players position themselves on a 3-foot square platform with an arrow on each side of the square pad. The arrows point up, down, left and right. Players face a video screen that has arrows scrolling upward to the beat of a song they have chosen. When the arrow reaches the top of the screen, the player steps on the arrow on the pad that corresponds to the arrow on the screen.
"Suddenly, middle-class moms were using their kids' Playstations (DDR) for exercise," Bogost says. "They were playing a game that was never intended to be used in that way."
DDR was created as an entertainment game, but researchers and players both noticed it worked up a sweat. DDR can be a good aerobic exercise, and according to ddrzone.com, some regular players have reported burning around 500 calories in an hour, and weight loss of 10-50 pounds with long-term use.
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The benefits of these physically demanding exergames has rehabilitation centers now using them as a tool for athletes who are recovering from surgery or an injury, most often ankle sprains and knee surgery like ACL reconstruction. Lawrence's OrthoKansas, PA rehabilitation department is using