Gamer Health Record (GHR) debuts as Kinect PlayFit to track exergaming calories

Read the Full Story at ExergameLab

Launching today on Xbox Live is a free new downloadable dashboard for Xbox LIVE members. Kinect PlayFit is hoping to be a stepping stone to the Holy Grail of the Quantified-Self movement as it will track the time and calories you burn while playing exergames like Dance Central 2 and Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012. Indeed it is the first time a major console will integrate fitness tracking across games as previously it only existed in game info from games like DDR, EA SPORTS Active, and EyeToy Kinetic. 

Exergaming Points to Ponder (ExP2P)

Click here to explore more of ExerGame Lab's archived posts involving Kinect PlayFit.

Exergaming through the ages – Wii sets ‘em up, Kinect knocks ‘em down

A specific wave of video games is relegating Billy Blanks, Jane Fonda, and, yes, I admit, Richard Simmons to our media cabinets.  Exergaming, the phenomenon that combines exercise and video games is making its way into every facet of our lives.  The five-by-eight foot space in front of our television sets is being increasingly taken over by motion control games, those games that are controlled entirely by body movements.  With state-of-the-art technology – namely from Nintendo, Sony, and, most recently, Microsoft – we now have a myriad of systems to choose from.  VHS, no more!  Bring in the video games to whip me into shape.

‘Exergaming’ has been coined as a rather catchy media term to detract critics from the notion that gamers are typically exercise-averse.  The word officially entered the English language by appearing in the Collins English Dictionary in 2007.  As a field that has been gaining momentum since the 1980s, the field of videogame exercise is poised to only increase followers.  From scientific circles to educational organizations and professional sports teams, the games we play in our homes have found a footing in our society’s agenda to improve our overall well being.

My first brush with action-packed video gaming took place at an arcade at a mini-golf/go-cart/batting cage emporium in my suburban, Chicago hometown.  A rather astute young man was going at it on a http://www.ddrgame.com/ round for what seemed like hours.  Dripping with sweat and oblivious to those around him, Mr. DDR let his Airwalks meet their maker with every step he matched from the screen to the mat.

Konami, the creator of the 1998 DDR game, has certainly capitalized on its early success.  With Sony carrying Dance Dance Revolution over from the arcade to its Playstation, consumers were able to have their own dance mats in their living rooms and brush up on their dance skills at home.  Other early games that featured an under-foot mat included Nintendo’s Dance Aerobics with the Power Pad and Atari’s Foot Craz.  The Power Pad games reached respectable commercial success.  The Atari product, eventually, like much of its franchise, did not fare as well.

Exercise machines are also no strangers to the gaming world.  Nintendo and Life Fitness released the short-lived Exertainment system, which featured a pedal-driven stationary bicycle.  These days, the Gamercize machines are compatible with each of the Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo systems, and Expresso offers a rendition for consumers.  Although lackluster in their gaming appeal, they are undoubtedly items that many people are dropping money on to lose pounds.

As who was the most visible contender in the media in the 2000s, Nintendo made a comeback to the fitness video game business in a big way.  Not only as an entertainment tool with secondary physical benefits, the Wii become a solid means of getting healthy.  In 2007, Nintendo released the WiiFit. From then on out, the Nintendo became a staple for women everywhere to cancel their yoga center memberships and peacefully train on their Wii Balance Boards.

These fitness games are even changing the way the scientific community thinks about treatment for neuromuscular disorders.  Take Wii-hab for instance.  Parkinson’s Disease patients show some evidence of improving motor control after playing the Wii after a period of time.  Some users show how even autism might be seen as less of a disability with the Microsoft Kinect.  For autistic children who find traditional video game controllers difficult to master, taking advantage of the gross movements that control the games makes one more activity easier.

One only needs to look to two major metropolises to see how more and more children benefit from fitness gaming.  In Chicago, children’s athletic training programs have been leveraging virtual fitness for their agenda.  It’s all about the children, and they have been getting ample attention in New York public schools.  In lieu of a traditional gym class, an elementary school in the Bronx tried out WiiFit on a group of students in 2009.

The exergaming world has had its share of wrong turns, however, but many of today’s games are pretty engaging.  EA Sports Active suite of games, The Biggest Loser empire, and WiiFitPlus are all experiences that I am willing to try.  My personal favorite right now is Dance Central 2 for the Xbox and Microsoft Kinect.  In fact, anything that has to do with Kinect has a certain je ne sais quoi about it.  This system has somehow managed to capture the interest of the most unlikely candidates.  From girls claiming on their blogs that it is their workout of choice to dogsrunning around robotics conferences with a Kinect camera on their heads, well, it’s held me captive.  The new Dance Central 2 is a game that brings me back to those first days of Dance Dance Revolution, when we spent evenings gawking at the professionals at work.  I don’t believe that I’ll miss the familiar faces of the old-time fitness gurus on my TV now that I am the one in control.

Originally posted : http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/2011/12/04/exergaming-through-the-ages-wii-sets-em-up-kinect-knocks-em-down/

Exergaming and the Feedback Loop

Focus groups, customer polls, consumer surveys even the good old "suggestion box" have one purpose, to find out what others think. This is important for exergaming because it is a relatively new experience for most.

We've seen an increased importance over the last year being placed on "implementation". This comes in the context of programmes for commercial clubs and lesson plans for schools. There's not a whole lot out there to help with the most convenient of exergame arenas - the home.

The majority of "fitness games", such as Wii Fit plus and EA Sports Active, do guide you through a workout regime in much the same way that a personal trainer might. There is of course one huge difference, there's no "personal" in a games disc. The feedback the game has is limited to what it can measure.

It can't tell you if losing 1lb per week is a great, if you goal is actually improved cardio fitness over and above weight loss. The game can't tell when you're bored, too tiered or needing motivation. With these limitations, how good can exergaming in the home really be?

What we need is feedback! Luckily there is one place we can get this feedback, Gamers for Health. We first reported on the new work group titled Gamers for Health here. Gamers for Health provides ECA members and the gaming community with the tools and resources necessary to help incorporate gaming activities into healthy lifestyles.

The ab-initio exergamers have struggled through motivation slumps and aches and pains to report on what people should expect from home exergaming. If you wanted to know one thing about their experiences, had one question to ask... what would that question be?

Kinect Wins Top International Exergaming Award

Microsoft Kinect has been awarded the top accolade by public vote in The Exergame Network Awards 2010. Fifteen categories covered the new generation of Active Video Games with nominations from industry experts and public votes from around the world.

In the category for Best Home Exergame of 2010, Microsoft’s Kinect Sports has taken the honours with the majority of the public vote. Nintendo Wii Fit and Sports achieved significant victories in awards for older exergamers and rehabilitation.

”The inaugural TEN Awards is a significant initiative to raise public awareness of the commercial grade Exergaming solutions available world wide and to honour the key pioneering manufacturers in this exciting health and fitness genre” says Brett Young, founding member of The Exergame Network and CEO of Exergaming Australia.

The full results of The Exergame Network Awards 2010 are as follows;
- Best Children's Exergame - WINNER: Dance Dance Revolution Disney Grooves by Konami
- Best Physical Education Exergame - WINNER: Gamercize Pro-Sport for Wii
- Best Seniors Exergame - WINNER: Nintendo Wii Sports Bowling
- Best Accessibility Exergame - WINNER: Nintendo Wii Sports
- Best Home Dance Exergame - WINNER: Konami DDR
- Best Commercial Grade Dance Exergame - WINNER: Positive Gaming iDANCE2
- Best Exergame Fitness Avatar - WINNER: Wii Yoga
- Best Rehabilitation Exergame - WINNER: Nintendo Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus
- Best Group Exergame - WINNER: Positive Gaming iDANCE2
- Best Gateway Exergame - WINNER: Nintendo Wii Sports
- Best Competition Exergame - WINNER: Gamercize Pro-Sport for Xbox 360
- Best Brain Exergame - WINNER: NeuroActive BrainBike
- Best Music in an Exergame - WINNER: Positive Gaming iDANCE2
- Best Commercial Exergame 2010 - WINNER: Positive Gaming iDANCE2
- Best Home Exergame 2010 - WINNER: Microsoft Kinect Sports

”The first ever TEN Awards is a great step in helping both consumers and healthcare professionals know where to start when trying to select (or recommend) an exergame for their particular need. The voting was from a wide array of exergaming enthusiasts from around the globe. I believe this is a great start and hope that this will encourage game developers and exergaming manufacturers to continue to produce great products and raise the field of exergaming” says Dr. Ernie Medina, Jr., DrPH, founding member of The Exergame Network, CEO of MedPlay Technologies, and the “Exergaming Evangelist/Interventionist”.

The full nominations and results are available on The Exergame Network website at http://www.exergamenetwork.org/ and an analysis of the voting data will be provided later this year through TEN member and Co-Director of the USF Active Gaming Labs, Dr Lisa Hansen. The Exergame Network can be joined or contacted via LinkedIn, Facebook, Wiki, Twitter or by email at info@exergamenetwork.org

The Exergame Network Award Categories

Fifteen categories cover the new generation of Active Video Games (Exergames) with nominations from industry experts. The Exergame Network's Active Gaming Awards have the following categories and nominations are:

The awards for the winners will be made in January, so get voting now! Make you vote count with the quick and simple survey at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/421003/vote

1. Best Children's Exergame

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award that gets younger kids moving with active video gaming!

- Dance Dance Revolution Disney Grooves by Konami

- Wild Planet Hyper Dash

- Atari Family Trainer

- Just Dance Kids by Ubisoft

- Nickelodeon Fit by 2K Play

2. Best Physical Education Exergame

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award for an active video game that is best to use in PE classes

- HOPSports Training System

- Gamercize Pro-Sport for Wii

- Cyber Coach

- Xer Pro Sportwall

- Target Trainer

3. Best Seniors Exergame

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award to an active video game for the "silver gamer"

- Sony Eyetoy - Play

- Wii Sports - Bowling

- Cobalt Flux - Dancetown

- XaviX - EYEHAND

- NeuroActive Brainbike

4. Best Accessibility Exergame

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award for an active video game suitable for players with disabilities

- Nintendo Wii Sports

- Cobalt Flux - Hand Dance Pro

- Eyetoy - Play for PS2

- The GameCycle

- Target Trainer

5. Best Home Dance Exergame

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award for a console based dance video game

- Konami DDR

- Just Dance by Ubisoft

- Activision Dance Masters

- StepMania

- Microsoft Kinect Dance Central

6. Best Commercial Grade Dance Exergame

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award for an active video game dance system suitable for youth clubs and fitness facilities

- In the Groove 2

- Positive Gaming iDANCE2

- Cobalt Flux Blufit

- Pump It Up Pro

- Xerdance

7. Best Exergame Fitness Avatar

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award for the hottest in-game virtual trainer!

- Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum

- Daisy Fuentes Pilates

- Your Shape Fitness Evolved

- Wii Yoga

- Jackie Chan PowerBoxing

8. Best Rehabilitation Exergame

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award for an active video game used in physical therapies

- Wii Sports

- Sony Eyetoy for PS2

- Wii Sports Resort

- Trazer 2

- Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus

9. Best Group Exergame

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award for an active video game for four players or more

- Positive Gaming iDANCE2

- Gamercize Pro-Sport with Xbox LIVE

- Xerdance

- Cobalt Flux Blufit

- HOPSports Training System

10. Best Gateway Exergame

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award for an active video game that encourages participation in traditional physical activities

- Wii Sports

- XaviX Sports

- PlayStation Move Sports Champions

- Microsoft Kinect Sports

- Humana Horsepower Challenge

11. Best "Head to Head" Competition Exergame

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award for a two player active video games best for 1 on 1 competition

- Exerbike for PS2

- GameBike for PS2

- Gamercize Pro-Sport for Xbox 360

- Web Racing for PC

- LightSpace Wall Peter Welsh Boxing

12. Best Brain Exergame

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award for a brain training game that requires physical activity

- NeuroActive BrainBike

- Footgaming FootPOWR Pad

- Fisher Price Smart Cycle

- Gamercize PC-Sport

- V.Smart Motion

13. Best Music in an Exergame

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award for an active video game with good songs or music

- Ubisoft - Just Dance

- Positive Gaming iDANCE2

- Cobalt Flux Blufit

- Xerdance

- Wii - Walk it Out

14. Best Commercial Exergame 2010

Place your vote from the following finalists in the award for an active videogame system suitable for youth clubs and fitness facilities that was launched in 2010

- Makoto 2

- Cobalt Flux Blufit

- Positive Gaming iDANCE2

- Trazer 2

- GameBike 2

15. BEST HOME EXERGAME 2010

Place your vote from the following finalists in the top award, for a console based active video game for home use that was launched in 2010

- PlayStation Move - Start the Party

- Microsoft Kinect Sports

- Nintendo Motion Plus - Wii Sports Resort

- Ubisoft Just Dance for Wii

- EA Sports Active 2 for Wii

To vote please go to http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/421003/vote, thank you!

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