Exercise is great. Along with healthy eating, it keeps us healthy, makes us live longer, and drastically improves our chances of not getting sick or injured. The one knock on exercise one could make is the repetitiveness and the eventual boredom that sets in for some people. This boredom and lack of motivation can be helped by the use of personal trainers, so that is definatly a good route to take.
Video games are fun. playing them can be very entertaining and can make some people mentally happy, but they definatly do not provide a physically healthy lifestyle, but that seems to be changing.
Video games now are becoming much more interactive and movement oriented. For America, fitness wise, this is definatly a step in the right direction. i remember back in the early days of home video game systems there was a track game for the regular nintendo. Instead of using the classic controller, it featured a pad that you would use to run on in running events. The faster you tapped your feet to the pad, the faster the guy on your screen would run. Other than that game, i hadn't seen many movement oriented games until recently. about 7 or 8 years ago, they came out with a game called dance dance revolution (ddr), and it's controls were two foot pads to the sides of you, one in the front, and one in the back. DDR can be slow for less skilled players, but can also be very fast for the more skilled players, and this is a great way to get people who live sedintary lifestyles because they just wanna play video games to exercise while playing one. At first this game was only available in the arcade, but quickly became available to people at home.
Another video game system that has hit the market that involves getting up and moving around is the Wii. The Wii is a system that the primary controls for the game involve different upper body movements. There are varios titles for the Wii that include sports simulated movements, which can be good for people who want to work on timing and hand-eye coordination. The movement factor is not huge in most cases but its better than holding a contoller.
Lastly, they're developing a controller that forces the user to use thier muscles while they play. Say it's a racing game, the steering wheel gives extra resistance and other games may involve different body movements and provide resistance for those body parts. Things in the video game industry are getting a little better.
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Will the Wii take the place of physical education in schools? Should it? Does it make more sense in a place like Maine with long winters that make getting classes outside difficult?
ReplyDeleteHow is the Wii Fit different then standard workout tapes that you can buy in stores? I have never seen it played or understand the idea behind it. If the technology can keep up with the American Fad phenomenon I think it has promise. But I wonder if it will be a flash in the pan like a lot of other fitness gimmicks.
ReplyDeleteI think the Wii is for fun first, and exercise second. What I was trying to say about the Wii in particular is that it is stepping in the right direction for the video game industry. I think (though I have never used) the video game "Wii Fit" might actually be better than a workout tape because it involves sensors that can give you feedback and information that the traditional workout tape can't give you. The Wii has a variety of games, from sports titles (Tiger Woods Golf is a good one that provides a pretty realistic experience for a video game) to action, to fitness titles like Wii Fit. Let's face it, people, especially kids, are always going to be playing video games, and while these Wii games aren't replacements for physical activity or sports skills, they are providing a healthier way to play video games instead of sitting on the couch enhancing your thumb muscles.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a progressive movement in the video game industry and I think they are no fools. They realize that wellness and health are a major concern in this country, and why not make a buck off it, right?
ReplyDeleteBy making a game console like the Wii, they are targeting an audience that will tell themselves that if they buy this video game system, it will be a good thing because they will be helping their body by moving their arms around and whatnot, making a 'sensible' justification for purchasing the equipment.
The Wii Fit seems to be a fun way to start exercise, though I don't think there is any pre-screening and it's not monitored by a professional, so I'm not sure I would recommend it to a client, but if there was an individual who was very unfit, lived a sedentary lifestyle, and couldn't afford to go to a gym or hire a trainer, I think this would be a great alternative to start making a change in their hypokinetic lifestyle.
Another instrument that I was asking my brother about (an avid 'videogammer') Was this software his girlfriend attempted to use on the Sony device, with some name like Personal Trainer or something. In which, you are 'required' to complete various tasks and exercises, and then log it into the video game while it keeps logs of your activity and caloric expenditures. The only downside of this, as with any exercise, is keeping the person motivated to continue. This game has a layer of dust on top of it, because she got 'bored' of it.
And the excuses to not exercise roll on.
While I agree that exercise needs to be "fun", I don't think video games, or Wii is the answer. American's are facing big obesity problems, the stats are alarming; adults and CHILDREN. I think some think Wii will be a quick fix, or think that its an easy way out of physical activity. I don't think much will be accomplished when you are sitting on the couch waiting for your turn. I think more physical education needs to promoted for children and Wii should be left as a hobby. I do think its a good idea for older adults though. Many there just can't get out and about, but it offers them a few choices, such as bowling or tennis to do in the comfort or their own home.
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