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Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Wii Fit, does a yoga pose as he
demonstrates the game (AP).
demonstrates the game (AP).
Is the Wii Fit Game a Substitute for the Gym?
May 19, 2008 06:02 AM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The Wii Fit game is being marketed as a fun way to exercise for people who can’t go to the gym, but it may not measure up.
30-Second Summary
Nintendo’s new Wii game, Wii Fit, costs $90 (about the price of a one-month gym membership) and is being marketed as a solution for those lacking the time or inclination do literal workouts. Responses to the game are varied. Although most testers feel that is at the very least fun and gets muscles feeling a bit of burn, it is hard to say whether playing the game should really be considered a substitute for going to the gym.
Of course, it’s better than no exercise at all, and stands a good chance of appealing to those who are more inclined to play video games than go for a run. “This makes exercise fun and I think it will help to motivate a lot of lazy folks,” said Sharone Huey an exercise physiologist.
The game may also prove useful for those who are literally too busy to go to the gym, such as single mothers. One exercise enthusiast approved, saying, “I go to the gym, so I don’t need this, but for someone who doesn’t want to leave the living room it would be great.”
A British study of Wii last year revealed that, although Wii players burned 60 more calories an hour than Xbox players, children required more activity than provided by the video game.
Most agree that the use of video games as a form of exercise launched as a trend with Dance Dance Revolution.
Of course, it’s better than no exercise at all, and stands a good chance of appealing to those who are more inclined to play video games than go for a run. “This makes exercise fun and I think it will help to motivate a lot of lazy folks,” said Sharone Huey an exercise physiologist.
The game may also prove useful for those who are literally too busy to go to the gym, such as single mothers. One exercise enthusiast approved, saying, “I go to the gym, so I don’t need this, but for someone who doesn’t want to leave the living room it would be great.”
A British study of Wii last year revealed that, although Wii players burned 60 more calories an hour than Xbox players, children required more activity than provided by the video game.
Most agree that the use of video games as a form of exercise launched as a trend with Dance Dance Revolution.
Headline Link: ‘O.K., Avatar, Work with Me.’
When Wii Fit is released, it will have “at least a chance of becoming a global, affordable, mass-market interactive home-fitness system.” Seth Schiesel, The New York Times video game reviewer, recruited a variety of people, ranging from a self-described “couch potato” (the writer himself) to the owner of a New York Yoga studio to test the game. While one working mother found that the Wii solved her problem of not being able to get a treadmill through the doorway of her house, an 18-year-old fitness fanatic conceded, “if you’re really looking to get fit, join a gym. But this would be great for mothers, or if they want their kids to get a little more in shape.” Yoga guru Cyndi Lee bashed the game for teaching incorrect form and failing to capture the cohesive essence of yoga. Nonetheless, Sharone Huey, an exercise physiologist, felt the Wii provided a good workout and added, “This makes exercise fun and I think it will help to motivate a lot of lazy folks.”
Source: New York Times
Opinion & Analysis: Can the Wii really provide a workout?
Last year, a study at Liverpool John Moores University demonstrated that while children burn 60 more calories per hour playing Wii Sports than they would if they used an Xbox, the exercise they get playing the game is an insufficient substitute for real sporting activities.
Source: WebMD
Reporter Robert Crampton sampled the Wii Fit for a review in The Times of London. He’d heard about the Liverpool study but gave his own qualitative evaluation. “I can confirm that you have to make an effort,” he said. “Not as you would lifting weights or running, but similar to a beginners’ Pilates class, or some semi-serious stretching.”
Source: The Times
Background: Video games as exercise
In 2002, schools in California used the game Dance Dance Revolution as a substitute for other forms of exercise in gym class. Coach Chad Fenwick reported that children formerly resistant to exercise were enthused about the game. “They just don't want to leave it alone,” he said. “It's addicting. But it's a good exercise for them.” He said the game burned as many calories as exercise machines and the children reported that they had lost weight since they started to play the game in class.
Source: CBS News
Related Topics: Virtually real
Second Life, a computer game that allows players to live in another world via an avatar of their design, sometimes has an effect on the players’ real lives. The avatar can change the way a person perceives himself, reported findingDulcinea. “If someone has a more attractive avatar, not only might that person act more extroverted when playing online, but that extroversion may carry over to real life.”
Source: findingDulcinea
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