Exploring Unknowns with Exergaming

I had written this a little while ago, but the sentiment is still valid and at this time of goodwill, sharing, friendship and helping others, I thought it was particularly relevant to post.


Unusually for an article about exergaming we are starting outdoors. At 3,500 feet to be precise. Like many of us I am comfortable with flying as a means of transport. I also enjoy flying as a pastime having earned my wings some years back qualifying to pilot light aircraft. At few thousand feet in this Cessna, I am neither comfortable nor enjoying the flight. I feel cold, I feel apprehensive, I feel unsure, I feel not in control. The once familiar rolling green countryside passing below no longer looks picturesque, it looks menacing and alien. With a cacophony of noise and blast of cold air, the side of the Cessna opens up, and I find myself at the open door, gripping the aircraft for fear of falling out. Over the noise of the engine and the roar of the slipstream I hear myself questioning how I got in this situation, how this looks like a really long way down, how I wished I was not here, uncertain of what will happen, what could happen, what to do. Then I jumped.

The members of The Exergame Network successfully raised $350 for me to take on this challenge of a solo skydive to raise money for much needed exergame research. The Exergame Network (TEN) is a non-profit, unaffiliated and unbiased group of individuals with a common goal, to advocate the appropriate use of exergaming to improve health and fitness. The group started from an expansion in interest of the genre of exergaming and a need to continue the debates between that of the annual Games for Health conferences in Boston. TEN created resources, such as the TEN wiki, and used collaboration tools such as Skype and Google Docs to advance understanding and structure thinking around exergaming.

The work of TEN led to identification that exergaming in practice was progressing far faster than research could keep up. Members of the network identified what these gaps are, from creating and analysing an evidence base of published studies on it’s wiki. We then established what progressive research questions could be asked in order to get “what we can prove” in line with “what we know”. Closing this gap is a priority for the advocacy of TEN.

In order for TEN to close this gap we are pulling together resources from its members to arrive at a package of awards that can be granted to aid the inception and completion of the missing studies. My skydive was just a part of this package, raising money that will be used for buy out from class or research assistant’s time. With a strong contingent of established researchers, academic and clinicians the awards package also includes free consultancy time to aid newcomers. This experience in exergaming provides a big advantage in the methodology and study design.

There is also a wealth of exergaming manufacturers, distributors and implementers within the TEN network that alongside pledges of free consultancy for the award package are able to donate or loan exergaming equipment to facilitate studies. We even have members who are pledging facilities, and in some instances with populations already pre-engaged in exergaming.

Completing the awards package we have pledges of dissemination opportunities that include a pre-agreed poster session and a journal publication (subject to editorial controls). When this package of awards is finalised in the new year a panel from TEN will be inviting submissions for study proposals which will answer our research questions and fill the gap between theory and practice. Successful applications will receive the awards that aid the complete process from design to publication.

Completing this project has significant outcomes. For the people “at the coal face”, supporting, promoting and implementing exergaming the publication of studies that confirm what we are telling people about exergaming will be the evidence basis to help progress the genre. For the academic community the seeding of studies in exergaming will enable more progressive research to be carried out, and give a foundation for researchers beyond simple energy expenditure studies.






Where does that leave me? Like the state of exergaming research today, I am hanging in limbo, under a parachute canopy. I soon realise there is a problem. My canopy lines are twisted and the parachute is not controllable. From the instruction of the course I know what I need to do to resolve the problem and I follow the advice to separate the risers and kick out of the twists. Under full control I can clearly see the direction I need to take and maneuver for the landing pattern. Having the advantage of experience from my fixed wing qualifications it is easy for me to fly the pattern and bring the canopy onto final approach. As I come in to landing I have a talk-down via radio to ensure my pre-landing checks are correct. Resisting the natural temptation to slow the canopy I approach on “full drive”, flaring at the right time and right height to make a successful landing.

As I walk alone back to the manifest area I realise that the success of the jump was down to having the right information to start with, the application of experience to a new environment and the continual support and guidance throughout the final landing phase. This is comparable to the experience TEN will be providing for researchers and students willing to take a leap of faith into the genre of exergaming research.





Originally posted at http://gamercize.blogspot.com/2012/12/exploring-unknowns-with-exergaming.html

Just Dance 3 Wins Top International Industry Award

Just Dance 3 Wins Top International Industry Award

Just Dance 3 by Ubisoft has been awarded the top accolade by public vote in The Exergame Network Awards 2011. Active video games nominated by industry experts were put to the public for the ultimate exergaming releases of 2011, attracting voting from around the world.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 5, 2012 – In the category for Best Home Exergame of 2011, Ubisoft's Just Dance 3 has taken the honours with the majority of the public vote. The most popular exergames are dance variations, taking three of the top four places in the voting.

The full nominations and the results for The Exergame Network Awards 2011 were;

Best Home Exergame 2011
Kinect Sports Season 2
Just Dance 3
Exergamer.com
Dance Central 2
Dance Dance Revolution II
UFC Personal Trainer

The results of the public vote are as follows, Winner: Just Dance 3 (39.5% of votes), Runner-up: Kinect Sports Season 2 (22.0% of votes)

”Dance exergames are very powerful for engaging players in an intense workout that has a focus on fun. From my first hand experience of Machine Dance in our facility, XSITE in Hobart Australia, I see the appeal every week.” says Brett Young, founding member of The Exergame Network and CEO of Exergaming Australia.

Commercial grade exergaming launches, suitable for schools, gym and public spaces, featured in The Exergame Network awards with a strong contingent of mobile exergames and unique solutions.

Best Commercial Exergame 2011
Nexersys
Bjong TrezrHunt
Fruit Ninja for Rehabilitation
Exergame Station
Mobile Adventure Walks

The results of the public vote are as follows, Winner: Exergame Station (41.5% of votes), Runner-up: Bjong TrezrHunt (26.8% of votes)
"We are extremely excited, honored, and humbled to have received this award, especially in view of the fine products represented by the other finalists. I want to thank Stephen Yang and his staff and students at Cortland for all their help and support. I also want to thank Dr. Gregory Reeds and Canisius College, as well as The Exergame Network, and of course all the public that participated in the voting. We look forward to continued collaborations, and we will continue to work hard to provide products that let our customers play hard, and to show our appreciation for having received this award." says Michael Pelletter, CEO of Exergame Station.

The Exergame Network can be joined or contacted via LinkedIn, Facebook, Wiki, Twitter or by email at info@exergamenetwork.org

The Exergame Network Awards 2011

Welcome to The Exergame Network Awards 2011

There was an error on your page. Please correct any required fields and submit again. Go to the first error

Welcome to the public voting for The Exergame Network Awards 2011.

The following categories and nominations have been chosen by The Exergame Network Awards Committee. Please vote on each of the categories and share this survey with your friends!

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Survey Software powered by SurveyGizmo

TEN's Commercial Exergaming Project

The Exergame Network (TEN) has been focusing on off the shelf consumer exergames in it's advocacy of exergaming, until recently. The majority of TEN members and supporters are involved in delivering exergaming to wider audiences, such as schools, gyms and YMCAs. The knowledge exists within the network to provide information for those end users and the network has matured in credibility and impact to the point that it can make this project a success.

The project is to create an Exergaming Encyclopedia/Almanac/Compendium with useful information about exergaming delivered to group or commercial settings. Origins of the project dates back almost 12 months, but the first TEN Skype Call was last week to really get the project moving (so to speak!).

The output of the project is a fact sheet per exergame of all the products available and capable (to varying degrees) of providing an exergaming experience for many users.

TEN Admin kicked off the project with emails to selected TEN members for feedback on what exactly should the "facts" of the factsheet include? On the call the various options were debated, categorised and tweaked into a working document on Google Docs. The current list for the factsheet includes some 14 questions in 5 categories that answer the questions end users ask. The key aspects of the facts are they should represent factual information(!), that is not subjective, not dependant on use or implementation and easily demonstrated or readily evident to the public.

In the factsheet the cost of an exergame was debated, and how to best represent this in a manner that was not commercially sensitive but provided users with the ball park numbers needed. Although it was not possible to align the tiers of cost to the more practical examples of funding (i.e. Can you buy this exergame with a PEP grant?) the nominal brackets appear sufficient for everyone's needs. The commercial input on the call was as vital as the representation from the end user groups.

This debate sparked an addition to the project, an excellent idea to put in the listing of funding sources available for exergaming, and some help in gaining such funding. Although many commercial exergame companies deliver funding applications as a managed service it was felt that the basic information would benefit the output of the project and the industry in general.

The final point of debate was how to collect the information for the fact sheets following the finalisation of the fact questions. It was felt that the best method of doing this would be to put up a survey via surveygizmo.com (that TEN has used before for collecting The Exergame Network Award votes). This survey would be open and accessible to all exergame manufacturers (providing some protection from commercial poetic licence with its in built validation).

It was also decided that the exergame distributors such as Motion Fitness, iTech Fitness and others, would be best placed to engage manufacturers in this process. Exergaming distributors that are active in The Exergame Network display a TEN logo and link on their websites (see http://exergamenetwork.blogspot.com/p/supporters-of-ten.html), and it is with this commercial experience and help the project keeps moves forwards.

This project is one of many the The Exergame Network is engaged in, for a full list see the wiki at http://exergaming.pbworks.com/

Reflection on Video Games and a 10K

This is a blog post from the ECA Loosing Gamer, after completing a 10k road race following six solid months of exergaming. JM tells it like it is, an inspiration for members of TEN!


When I embarked on this exergaming campaign at the end of 2010, I had two goals


1) To find out if a person (me) actually could lose weight by using video games; and

2) To lose weight.

As I’ve discussed, I really did have quite a bit of skepticism that one could actually, really, honest to goodness lose weight using video games. It didn’t equate for me at all. I honestly thought it was a bunch of marketing phooey. Since then, I’ve learned better.

I now know that video games make working out a lot of fun, and that one (me) can lose weight by using them. Thus far, I’ve lost 25+ pounds, with my next weight goal coming up in the next couple of weeks. As we hear through the ECA’s Gamers for Health initiative, video games help hundreds of thousands of you lose weight too. They’re that good of a catalyst.

As I’ve discussed, exergames also act as a gateway for many of us, getting us to try other activities, like running as I did. Each season offers a different set of challenges and opportunities for active play inside and outside one’s house.

As the year has progressed, and I’ve gotten thinner, lighter and more fit, the number and breadth of my goals has multiplied. Each week seems to bring a new goal, and each few weeks seem to open up more goals being achieved.

In the last seven days alone I ran a 6.2 mile race – yes, that’s how long a 10K is – and fit into a size smaller jeans. Earlier this year it would not have been possible. Simply *not* *possible*. Before last week, 6.2 miles was for crazy-insane DISTANCE RUNNER people to run (in my lay person’s estimation); it was not a distance that a *normal* jogger would do (when I did jog, as I considered myself). Now I’m looking forward to running other 10K races THIS FALL and wondering how long it will take me to scale up to run a half marathon. Um, yes. I *did* just write that.

As I just mentioned, I also fit into a size smaller Leavis 501s. Now, for me, this particular size jeans is important, because it was the size I used to steal from boyfriends in college, my 20s, my 30s and now from my husband. They may be a bit snug, but I can fit into them and button them all the way up. A few weeks ago, I couldn’t pull them up one leg all the way. So Dear Husband better either buy more jeans or watch out, as they’re going to start migrating over to me. Perhaps I’ll simply buy a couple of pairs for myself. Hm. We’ll see.

So would any of this be possible without exergames, as a friend recently asked? My early August assessment is, probably not. I still get up off the bed, couch, chair or floor to Zumba and step, which make up the bulk of my weekly workouts. All of the other fitness and goal achievement flows from it.

How is your workout routine going in this steamy month?

The Exergame Network's Google+ Hangout Test

The Exergame Network (TEN) is a non-profit, non-affiliated exergaming advocacy that's very forward thinking. Not only are we on the cutting edge of exergaming technology, research and implementation, we're on the cutting edge of open and free collaboration.

On the regular TEN Skype call this week I wanted to push these boundaries again. Some things we try don't work so well and some things we try work so well they are adopted by the group going forwards. The technology I wanted to try out is the Google+ Hangout. Many people have seen Google+ as a Facebook competitor, but the more astute see it as a competition for Skype.

Think about how Google allows free and open collaboration, with email, Google docs, Google Calendar, Google Voice and not to forget YouTube itself. It makes sense that these technologies are offered in one place, and that place is Google+.

The Hangout feature is multi-way video calling, with the added aspects of YouTube sharing and text chat. TEN tried out all of these capabilities with members as far apart as Australia, UK, Hong Kong and the United States. We started the conference call on Skype, as usual, but broke out to Google in the last half hour. The mechanics of getting onto a Google+ Hangout were a little challenging, as most people had never seen this technology before. I had the advantage of using this earlier with great help from Stephen Yang. Here's what you need to do:

1. Get a Google account (goto www.google.com and signup!)

2. Be invited to Google+ (ask us on info@exergamingnetwork.org and we'll add you, or ask me directly if you have my email address for a quicker response!!)

3. Add TEN's Google+ profile to your circles; Don't forget to log into G+ first ;) http://bit.ly/TENplus1

4. Check out the profile stream and you'll see (when a call is on) a big green button to "Join this hangout".

5. Equally you can be invited personally, in which case the option to join will come over the notifications stream.

6. The first time you use Hangout you'll need to download and install the Google voice /video / chat add-in. This works for any OS and browser. (We had PC and Mac users with Mozilla, Chrome and Safari all communicating together.

That's about it! So how did the call go? Here's what we found; It all works! The video streaming was sometimes a little jumpy but the product is still only in beta. On the whole the quality was excellent, and I've noticed an improvement from earlier one to one tests with Stephen.

The chat option was, as one would expect, functional and useful, although there did not seem to be an option to save the transcript as you can refer back in Skype. Equally you couldn't add people into the conversation "to catch up later". You have to be on it to be in it.

The YouTube sharing option was very cool, with an option to watch the video playing. This function I could easily see would make a great platform for presenting, although we has videos of dancing kittens to get us started (Thank for sharing Floyd!!). Thanks also to Robin for some great views over Hong Kong harbor, Scott for being our ab-inito guinea pig, and Brett (for getting dressed!!)

Where do we go from here then? The first thing to do is get a good time and day for the call. To help decide this we've put a couple of polls up on Facebook. First choose the DAY you prefer by voting in the poll, next vote for the best TIME for you.

We didn't just play with new technological toys, on the Google+ and Skype call's we had an excellent update on the Australian Games For Health scene, which sets the arena for the next GFH event; Games for Health Europe. We also discussed the benefits TEN can have for GFH conferences in providing an ongoing collaboration to support exergaming and the conferences themselves. More on this later!

The call was a great success, I think, and once again a testament to the passion and dedication of the people that make The Exergame Network what it is.

TEN at Games for Health 2011 Exergaming Track

Games for Health is always the high point of the exergaming calendar and 2011 in Boston was no exception. The Active Gaming & Exergmaing Track was full of exciting presentations, panels and sessions, most of which featured TEN members.

The Exergame Network presentation has been captured on UStream by Stephen Yang of SUNY Cortland and ExergameLab fame. Here is the TEN presentation with Richard Coshott, Lisa Witherspoon and Brett Young. If you look carefully, you will also spot a Ninja in the build up! Skip ahead to 10 minutes in to see the presentation.



The slides that accompany this video can be found on slideshare, right here...

The Exergame Network - Report on our Progress

View more presentations from Exergame Network

The Exergame Network is holding a Skype Call this Friday (May 27th) at 11pm GMT, see our Facebook event for more details and check out the event time in your timezone here. In this call we'll be reflecting on Games for Health and attempting a TEN first - to have the first Skype call around the world, from Hawaii, through West and East coast America, Europe, Hong Kong back to the other side of the world in Australia! Don't miss it!

The Exergame Network - Report on our Progress

The Exergame Network - Report on our Progress

View more presentations from Exergame Network

2011 AAHPERD ExerGame Workshop Rocked San Diego!

Here's the album from the 2011 AAHPERD ExerGame Workshop - San Diego, CA! Thanks to everyone for an awesome international showcase and display of unity for exergaming/active gaming. With experts from the US, UK, Scandinavia, and Canada, it was truly the largest and most diverse ExerGame Workhop ever.

Big Shout Outs to SUNY Cortland PE Students Anthony, Amanda, Lauren, Alison, Edwin, and Andrew for assisting set-up and leading games at the workshop and especially to Anthony for leading the entire group in the Carlton and Running Man on Just Dance.

Special thanks especially to Motion Fitness, Positive Gaming, Exergame Station, Gamercize, and XaviX for arranging equipment for the activity sessions. Thanks to Positive Gaming for sponsoring the great TEN T-shirts, Exergame Fitness for prizes (t-shirts and bags), and Gamercize for the GZ School Handbook.

And of course a huge SHOUT OUT to Helena for her incredible organization and communication skills in organizing our group. Let's keep the momentum going and plan for a bigger and better session next year in Boston!

If you haven't responded be sure to meet Thursday for the first TEN face to face meeting at 10:30

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TEN shines in San Diego!

3-30-11: Shortly after lunch, a friend, Megan, and I took a quick trip to San Diego to meet up with the large gathering of TEN's exergaming friends from around the world. They had just finished putting on one of the best exergaming workshops for all the PE folks at the AAHPERD annual conference that AM and were now relaxing at Lounge 6.

Before that, we visited Peter Newman's office to see some of his latest products. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pixs of our visit there so sorry about that!

Here are a few shots from our quick trip (got back after midnight last night!) yesterday....



Great seeing everyone, especially Brett from NZ! The next time I'll be seeing them is in Boston for Games for Health. Then, I'll be able to hang out with the gang longer!

Globe and Mail gets Exergaming for Canada

Check out this article from the Globe and Mail, talking about the two critical elements of exergaming - effort and fun! The Exergame Network is well represented too...

“The criticism of exergaming always keeps saying, ‘It’s not really exercise,’ ” says Ernie Medina, a preventive care specialist in California and a founding member of the Exergame Network, a U.S.-based advocacy group created to raise awareness of gaming fitness

“Fun is for certain the single most important element of an exergame,” says Dwayne Sheehan, co-founder of the Exergaming Research Centre at the University of Calgary.

You can read the full article here

Exergaming in the Media

he Exergame Network is dedicated to the advocacy of exergaming, and members of TEN are always busy at conferences and seminars giving talks and presentations about exergaming.

Members of the group often break out of the regular circuit, into mainstream media with high profile website articles, news paper and magazine features, even TV and radio. The latest of the media appearances are from Dr Ernie Medina and Stephen Yang, both great advocates of exergaming and valuable contributors to TEN.

Watch Stephen Yang on ABC's Good Morning America here, as he demonstrates applications of Exergaming.

Listen to Ernie Medina on Health Talk Radio here where he explains "What is Exergaming".

Both of these segments have been given a soapbox from the aspect of Health, but Ernie and Stephen both make it clear that the key element of exergaming is not just health, but FUN!

Teachers Demand Physical Education Overhaul

Scientific research supports physical activity as an effective approach to minimize mounting health concerns and Physical Education teachers are using this research and exciting new methods to re-define "what is PE". PE teachers are the doing their part by rasing awareness that fitness can be fun, in a way that kids today understand - technology.

These technology skilled PE teachers of today are learning to use "exergames" in classes - exergames are video-games combined with fitness. Nothing engages today's school children more than technology, so it is no surprise exergames dramatically raise interest in PE class by making the class fun, challenging and rewarding. Exergaming is advocated throughout the U.S. by The Exergame Network (TEN). TEN's mission is to share information, success stories and act as a portal resource for exergaming via it's education wiki and blog.

Pioneering teachers PE encountered early challenges, sometimes experimenting with games consoles, like the Nintendo Wii, as a format to drive a PE class. Leading PE teachers now eagerly share the formula for success by using a wide range of exergame implementations. Successfully trailed exergames meet recommended exercise guidelines and can be integrated into structure PE lessons to the enjoyment and benefit of students. Many PE teachers have developed the skills to use exergaming in a developmentally appropriate way, according to guidelines from PE centers of excellence, as a tool can motivate and energize today's youth.

A Florida PE teacher spoke confidently in support of exergaming, "This is the first time in 11 years of teaching PE that I've had to kick kids out of class who don't want to stop exercising." One student summarizes the feelings of those involved in structured exergaming PE class "If the whole United States had a room like this, then this world would be a better place." This evidence, supported by peer reviewed research, comes directly from the University of South Florida's, Active Gaming Research Lab's web archives and represents just two of the many success stories of research into all ages and different implementations of exergaming.

The support for exergaming has reached global proportions, demonstrated by quotes from the BBC News posted in the Gamercize web archives. A PE student talks about the immersive nature of exergaming "Sometimes when you're playing netball or basketball you get a bit tired and then you say 'Oh I don't want to do this anymore' but this is really fun and I think I could do it all day." Her teacher is aware of how exergaming increases student involvement in PE, "Its certainly not physical education as we know it, but thats not what we're looking for. Some kids want to take part in this who wouldn't want to play football or other conventional sports."

Educators, researchers and editors alike are encouraged to use exergaming technology in their classes by first visiting the TEN resource sites to participate, ask questions to the worlds foremost experts, share news and ideas on exergaming in PE and PA. Resource information from TEN includes the five major categories of exergaming implementations, from dance pads to dedicated "workout" games, at http://exergamenetwork.blogspot.com/p/types-of-exergaming.html. TEN has also listed exergaming products available in the US with a collection of nearly 40 different exergaming choices covering aspects of PE with many different modes of physical activity at http://exergamenetwork.blogspot.com/p/exergame-products.html.

The Exergame Network can be joined or contacted via LinkedIn, Facebook, Wiki, Twitter or by email at info@exergamenetwork.org.

The Exergame Network marches on the Games for Health 2010

In Boston this week, the annual Games for Health conference takes place. If you are a member of The Exergame Network's Skype calls, Wiki, LinkedIn or Facebook collaboration groups then here's a chance to meet outside the virtual world!

Talking of Virtual Worlds, the 25th (traditionally known as pre-conference day) has both "Virtual Worlds & Social and Games For Health" and "Games Accessibility" days. This year sees the addition of the Mobile Serious Games Conference too. I found pre-conference day last year was the highlight of the year for me, very social and serious, serious fun!

Two vocal and well respected exergame advocates Stephen Yang and Dr Alasdair Thin (both very active in The Exergame Network) presented last year in the pre-conference event, that this year follows on from the Serious Games Conference on the 24th. (Alasdair, I think we need a new post on your site - ed)

The Games for Health conference itself on the last two of the four days in Boston feature some of the finest minds (and friendliest people!) in the research world. Highlights will undoubtedly come from the Exergaming Expo, where TEN supporters Tommy Seilheimer and Exergame Fitness will be showing how video games such as iDANCE and Gamercize make exercise fun.

The lineup for the two days conference, split into tracks so there are no clashes for your presentation enjoyment, is heavily represented by The Exergame Network. The best have been left to the last day, with expert researcher Dr Lisa Witherspoon Hansen kick starting the day with a presentation on brand new ways to integrate active gaming into the classroom. We've seen successful PE implementation from Lisa before, so don't miss this, it's cutting edge stuff!

We have fellow TEN expert Dr Liz Lyons, looking at the how exergames affect players effort and exertion, so expect to see some great insights from the games savvy Liz, in her second year of presenting at GFH. A slight change of track will let you attend TEN advocate Dr Sheryl Flynn, where rehab is the subject and Sheryl with her efforts in this area is well worth hearing out.

To round off the day we have once again Alasdair, Lisa and Stephen, with the former duo getting into some serious theorizing for exergaming and play. Who to round off the day better than Stephen, who is bringing us more results from his famous Exergame Lab! There is also a rumor going around that TEN tee-shirts will be available, but for the original and best Chief of all Exergaming Evangelists, and TEN supporter, go find Dr Ernie Medina in the Exergaming Tent. Here he is, giving his take on 08!

The four day event is being held at the Hyatt Harborside Hotel, Boston, MA. If you haven't been to this conference before, now in it's 6th year, you should Register Here. I hear that there is also a promo code, I'm not sure if I am allowed to share this, so jump on quick before it's changed for a 10% discount using BOS10 - that's the letters BOS and number TEN.