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Can Video Games Really be Good for You?

WHERE THERE’S A WII, THERE’S A WAY TO GET FIT

By Roxanne Strickland

When Tom and Michelle Clifford are up for tennis, they don’t have to look hard for doubles partners. Always game are their children, Mikey, 7, and Maddie, 11. And the Cliffords don’t have far to travel when it’s time to play. Thanks to the Nintendo Wii videogame system, their court is as close as their basement, which also houses their bowling alley and golf course.

After working up a sweat swinging mock racquets and golf clubs at a Wii Sports party with three other couples, Tom, 40, and Michelle, 41, decided to get a system of their own. Unlike most gaming systems in which the player sits and pushes buttons, the Wii’s wireless motion-sensing controls require the player to get up and be part of the action. One of the most popular games for the system is Wii Sports, which can be played by all ages and skill levels. Players create personalized avatars (electronic images that represent themselves) called Miis, and play against the computer or each other in bowling, tennis, golf, boxing or baseball.

“We had a blast for three or four hours just playing Wii Sports,” Tom says. “We realized it could be fun for the whole family and were hooked.”

The Ann Arbor couple discovered what many others have: Video games aren’t just for kids anymore, and they’re not just for entertainment.

Fun with a purpose

Though the most popular, Wii isn’t the first video-game system to be used for exercise. In the late 1990s, Konami released Dance Dance Revolution to rave reviews, and got video gamers dancing and sweating instead of sitting and staring. Suddenly, video-game developers had a new market in mind and “exergames” were born.

In 2004, responDESIGN’S Yourself! Fitness presented virtual exercise routines using a computer or Microsoft Xbox. The next year, for its Playstation 2, Sony released EyeToy: Kinetic, designed to make workouts interactive and exciting.

But the new breeds of video games aren’t just for getting and keeping fit – they’re also for getting well. Carrie Drobek, senior recreational therapist at DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan, incorporates the Playstation EyeToy into her physical therapy sessions.

“The kids enjoy playing the video games,” she says. “Sometimes they don’t even realize the therapeutic benefits.”

Brian Sheridan, an occupational therapist and supervisor at DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) in Detroit, incorporates Game Cycles into his patients’ treatment. Connected to the Nintendo Game Cube, which offers more than 50 racing games, these bikes use the upper body to work the pedals.

“When you can add things that require you to exercise and it’s fun, then you can get people to stick with a program and ultimately be successful,” Sheridan says.

As Wii users when they’re off the clock, Drobek and Sheridan recognize the system’s potential for rehabilitation.

“We would love to have a Wii for Children’s [Hospital’s recreational therapy center],” Drobek says, noting that children with disabilities or in wheelchairs can participate in the games. Sheridan is eager to get a Wii and incorporate it into his patients’ treatment at RIM.

A long way from Pong

But can video games help users get fit? Mickey DeLorenzo, a multimedia developer in Philadelphia, was inspired by Wii’s fitness potential and created a workout routine to lose weight. He posted his progress online, along with his findings on the calorie-burning potential of Wii Sports. During 15- to 20- minute sessions of tennis, bowling and boxing, DeLorenzo reports burning 92, 77 and 125 calories, respectively.

Wii Sports includes a Fitness Test that assesses reaction speed and accuracy in various combinations of its games, and gives the user a “fitness age” between 20 and 80. The system keeps track of scores, which users are encouraged to try daily to improve. The virtual trainers in Playstation 2’s EyeToy: Kinetic take users through a 12-week program incorporating cardio, strength training, yoga and tai chi, and grades their performance.

Wii’s physical impact surprised the Clifford family. After playing 18 holes of Wii golf, “I woke up sore all over as if I had just gotten a really good workout,” says Tom. Maddie adds that she can feel the burn in her muscles after boxing on Wii Sports.

Such feedback and the interest of researchers at the Mayo Clinic, who have done their own studies on the positive effects of EyeToy and Dance Dance Revolution, might have prompted Nintendo to develop Wii Fit, to be released sometime this year. What makes Wii Fit different is the Wii Balance Board, a pressure-sensitive platform designed to track the gamer’s body mass index. Included with the game for $69.99, the board provides real-time feedback.

“Instead of jumping around, Wii Fit focuses more on balance,” says Beth Llewelyn, spokesperson for Nintendo America. “There will be a wide variety of activities, from yoga to stretching to aerobic activities like skiing or step aerobics.”

Wii Sports and other “exergames” are popping up in community gyms, physical-education classes and even senior centers, where Wii bowling leagues are becoming all the rage. The goal: to get people of all ages excited about getting fit.

“If the kids’ school offered active video games as part of a class, we would be fine with it, as long as the games were not substituting for actual teachers in the class,” says Tom Clifford. “It’s part of the age we’re in.”

Drobek and Sheridan agree that exergames are a helpful way to enhance a fitness or rehabilitation routine but should be part of a balanced regimen.

As Drobek puts it, “There’s nothing like good old-fashioned play.”

GAMES TO GET YOU FIT

Wii Sports (Released November 2006)
Game Play: Interactively participate in tennis, golf, baseball, bowling and boxing using a wireless motion-sensing controller.
Cost: Included with Wii console system, which currently is in great demand and costs about $249

EyeToy: Kinetic (Released November 2005)
Game Play: A camera captures your image and incorporates it into the screen, where you get a workout with virtual personal trainers.
Cost: $29.99, game; $49.99 with camera. Requires Playstation 2 ($129.99)

Yourself! Fitness (Released October 2004)
Game Play: Virtual trainer Maya guides you through several fitness routines; includes meal planning with 4,500 recipes.
Cost: $34.99. Requires Playstation 2 ($129.99)

Wii Fit (To be released this year)
Game Play: Participate in fitness routines from aerobics to yoga using the Wii Balance Board to monitor your body mass index and strengthen your core.
Cost: To be determined. Will include balance board. Requires Wii console system, which currently is in great demand and costs about $249.