Jump into Exergaming

The Exergame Network (TEN) is a not for profit advocacy group promoting exergaming and wishes to give students new opportunities to research this exciting new field.

The Exergame Network Chairman of the Board, Richard Coshott, will undertake a sponsored skydive in August this year to raise awareness and money for TEN towards funding students study designs into research reality. TEN will be inviting students to submit study designs for consideration by the board of directors towards an award.

Awards will be made in October and not limited to funding but include donation or free borrowing of exergame equipment and, most valuable, expertise from TEN exergaming researchers in to form of help, advice and study quality assurance.

"I am raising money by way of a sponsored skydive in August 2012 to provide TEN with funds to support aspirations towards quality research in exergaming, by engaging the new generation of researchers. The skydive is a solo jump, which represents the leap of faith and commitment of purpose we would expect to see in candidate submissions into the field of exergaming research from the students." said TEN Chairman Richard Coshott.

The Exergame Network already freely provides a rich source of exergame information at it's wiki http://exergaming.pbworks.com and is supported by the sectors leading, independent experts. The awards for the Future of Exergaming Research will be made by TEN following an international invitation for study designs open to all universities across the globe.

Please support the inititive by showing your support at https://www.fundraise.com/the-exergame-network/active-gamer. All donations will be attributed directly to award winners, full details of the contest will be available via TEN.

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?

TEN : With Added Focus

In two years The Exergame Network has grown to be the largest and most effective independent exergaming advocacy. TEN is now looking to add specialist focus for the areas that need it, and in true TEN style, it is the members that will define this direction.

Each focus stream will require a leading officer and a deputy, responsible for bringing individual focus to the group as a whole and being the primary TEN specialist spokesperson in that area.

Suggestions so far for focus areas are based on profession, exergaming application, by region and exergaming beneficiaries. Here are some examples to start thinking about;

Interest Groups

Healthcare Professionals

Teachers

Youth Workers

Students & Researchers

Manufacturers & Distributors

Tournament Providers

etc

Application Areas

Schools

Clubs and Gyms

Group Fitness

Competition Groups

Consumers & Home exergaming

etc

Exergaming Regions

USA West

USA Central

USA East

Asia

Europe

South America

etc

Demographics of Exergaming

Children

Adults

Weight Loss Patients

People with Disabilities

Disadvantaged Youth

etc

There is a Skype call on Saturday (see http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=207878292563966&index=1) where we will start the discussion. Which of the above groupings make most sense, or is there another way to have speciality? How would a grouping be split, and who would lead each area? Please join in if you can and vote for the future of TEN.

On the call you will also find out more about TEN's Rating System for exergames, and the presentation session at Games for Health from TEN pioneers Richard Coshott, Lisa Witherspoon Hansen and Brett Young! For more on this event see http://www.gamesforhealth.org/index.php/conference/sessions/the-exergame-network-a-report-on-our-progress

Experts Rate “Exergames” for Consumers

Exergaming (Active Gaming) combines video games and exercise to provide a physically challenging but enjoyable experience. Traditionally, laboratory tests have been used to determine exertion levels and mainstream journalists review and rate a game’s game-play.

The Exergame Network (TEN) has created a next generation rating system which is ready for world wide release. TEN’s ratings system evaluates the holistic experience of an exergame in it’s Exergaming Experience Rating System (EERS)

TEN is a non-affliated, non-profit games for health exergaming advocacy. Its website portal is http://www.exergamenetwork.org/. TEN represents an international collaboration of dedicated health and fitness practitioners, exergame developers, researchers and clinicians, wellness entrepreneurs, all devoted to promoting an active and healthy lifestyle through exergaming.

The peer-reviewed EERS results have been compiled by a panel of world renowned exergaming experts. The system used to rate the exergame experience has taken a collaboration of over 12 months, driven by the previous lack of real world consumer information into the genre.

Exergames are not only scored on exercise and game play, including the physical interface between the two, but also on the interaction of seven further attributes including sustainability and intervention capacity. Six popular video games with an exercise component have been scored in the first results, including Wii Fit, Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), Eyetoy Kinetic, Wii Sports, EA Sports Active and Rockband.

"With so many different games available on the market, a rating system for exergames like the EERS by TEN, is a welcome tool for healthcare practitioners trying to help their patients make the most appropriate choices for their families." says TEN contributor Dr Ernie Medina of MedPlay Technologies LLC.

The highest rated exergame, so far, is Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), which scored 63% with the popular Wii Fit making a mid-table position with 57%. TEN has a resource of over 40 exergames listed that will be peer-reviewed and rated over the next 12 months.

"The EERS results compliment the research work being done in the Exergame Lab at SUNY Cortland. While there is no substitute for scientific research in PE, the thorough rating system is extremely useful to consumers when looking at which product to purchase." says TEN contributor and exergame expert Stephen Yang.

The full Ratings table can be viewed at the TEN Blogsite http://exergamenetwork.blogspot.com/p/exergame-experience-rating-system.html and the resource of exergames 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

Healthy Holidays - Healthy Hearts

The holiday season is always a health rollercoaster. We eat too much, watch too much TV and exercise too little and then make New Years resolutions that we can't keep. This year, make a change with Exergaming. The Exergame Network (TEN) reveals five ways of getting fit with video games, perfect for school kids to silver gamers with fun as the focus!


The good news for these holidays is you can over-indulge in fitness and fun by Exergaming. Exergaming is the combination of video games and exercise, ideal for a fun, social way to keep fit during the festive period. The Exergame Network brings you five Exergaming methods to suit everyone regardless of their age, ability or fitness level.

Most health and fitness resolutions revolve around dieting and joining a gym, but this doesn't work for everyone. So what about the rest of us, those that dislike gyms, dieting, boot camps or just find conventional fitness boring?

Exergaming succeeds because it makes exercise fun and involving. The exercise seems less difficult and second to the enjoyment of playing. Choosing the right style of Exergaming is vital in making it fun for you! The following CREWS list is a 'something for everyone' selection from five Exergaming catagories (for an interactive tour visit CREWS ):

1. Camera Exergaming – Your whole body becomes the controller as your movements are motion captured into the game (Eyetoy:Kinetic/Groove/Antigrav, Your Shape, Project Natal & Trazer 2)

2. Rhythm Exergaming – Become the musician or dancer and be guided by the music while the exergame records your dance steps or your musical timing. (Rock Band, Guitar Hero, We Cheer, DDR & iDANCE)

3. Exergaming Machines – Using real fitness equipment, the fun of the games takes your mind of the exercise. (Gamercize, Gamebike, Fitclub, GameCycle, BrainBike & Expresso Bikes)

4. Workout Exergaming – Follow your virtual personal trainer as they guide you through your workout giving feedback on your form and storing your progress. (EA Sports Active, The Biggest Loser, Your Shape and Wii Fit Plus)

5. Sensory Exergaming – These commercial exergames get you jumping and running for your score. (Lightspace Play, Makoto, BodyPad: Tekken 5, SmartUs & TWall)

TEN reminds you to think of 'CREWS' as an amazing way to engage, motivate and sustain exercise over your lifetime! To discover more about Exergaming, get practical advice and more information from TEN or connect with us on twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook . Now enjoy what some of the leaders on Exergaming have to say and how Exergaming can truly benefit everyone!



“Exergaming Machines are a time saving way to keep me fit. Last week I clocked up over 9 hours of genuine cardio, just by playing the latest Xbox release! It is important that everyone finds the Exergaming method that works for them, if you enjoy the activity there’s more chance of keeping at it and reaching the fitness benefits. Nothing kept in the back of the cupboard will improve health.” Richard Coshott, Gamercize Founder and CEO.

"People who normally don’t like to be physically active are willing to try Exergaming because it’s FUN. Parents tell me that this is the first time they’ve seen their kids sweat this much…and they don’t want to stop playing the exergames! Exergaming is the best intervention for the “couch potato”, and introduces physical activity that’s fun for the first time in their lives." Ernie Medina, Jr., DrPH, CHFS, preventive care specialist, Beaver Medical Group; CEO & “Exergaming Evangelist”, MedPlay Technologies.

“In Physical Education, we strive to provide a safe and positive learning environment that supports the needs and abilities of our students. Exergaming, in its many forms, is available in schools (before and after-school), at home, and in the community and thus has the potential to impact students.” Stephen Yang, Ph.D-ABD, M.S., B.S., Co-Director ExerGame Lab, Assistant Professor, State University of New York College at Cortland.

“Exergaming offers an alternative method of increasing heart-rate and building muscle bulk for those with disabilities. Real-world boxing, for example, offers an excellent aerobic workout for many able-bodied individuals, however is impossible for many with disabilities. Video-game based boxing, however, allows for simulated boxing with an avatar that is safe and achievable, while simultaneously being aerobically challenging. " Sheryl Flynn PT, PhD, Co-Founder Games4Rehab.com.

For more information - see the non-ploitical, non-commerical wiki site for T.E.N.