Fitness game facts for kids
Fitness games, also called exergames or gamercise, are video games that help you exercise. These names combine "exercise" and "game." Fitness games use special technology to track your body's movements or reactions. They challenge the idea that gaming is only for sitting still. Instead, they encourage you to be active and healthy.
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History of Fitness Games
The idea of fitness games started a long time ago. Early attempts to mix games with exercise appeared in the 1980s.
Early Attempts (1980s)
Some of the first devices were the Joyboard for the Atari 2600 in 1982. The Power Pad (or Family Trainer) came out in 1986 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Another was the Foot Craz for the Atari 2600 in 1987. These early attempts did not become very popular.
In the 1980s, some ideas from virtual reality (VR) also helped. For example, HighCycle was an exercise bike where you pedaled through a virtual world. Virtual Racquetball let two players hit a virtual ball with real racquets. Users could wear special head-mounted displays for a more immersive experience.
The Atari Puffer project in 1982 was an exercise bike for Atari systems. It was almost ready for release with games like Tumbleweeds. However, Atari went bankrupt, and the project stopped.
The Computrainer was released in 1986. It was an exercise bike that connected to an NES. It showed a virtual landscape and tracked your pedaling. This product was expensive, so it was mostly for serious athletes.
Growing Popularity (1990s and 2000s)
In the 1990s, there was interest in adding VR to gym equipment. Companies like Life Fitness and Nintendo tried to make "Exertainment" systems. But these systems were too expensive and hard to maintain. Users also found them difficult to use.
Things changed in 1998 when Konami released Dance Dance Revolution. This game, where you dance on a pad, became very popular. When it came to PlayStation, it sold millions of copies. Another similar game, Pump It Up, came out in 1999.
In the 2000s, fitness games really took off. The EyeToy camera, released in 2003, let players use their body movements as the game controller. It sold over ten million units. In 2006, Gamercize launched. It connected traditional fitness equipment to game consoles. This allowed games to continue only when you were exercising.
Nintendo's Wii console, released in 2006, had controllers that detected movement. In 2007, Nintendo released Wii Fit with the Wii Balance Board. Wii Fit sold over 21 million copies. The Wii even helped in hospital rehabilitation programs, called "Wiihab." By 2009, health games were making $2 billion in revenue. The word "exergaming" was added to the Collins English Dictionary in 2007.
New Technologies (2010s)
Microsoft's Kinect (2010) was a big step for body motion tracking. Games like Just Dance and Nike+ Kinect Training (2012) used Kinect. They turned your physical movements into game controls.
Mobile phone apps also became fitness games. Zombies, Run! (2012), Ingress (2013), and Pokémon Go (2016) are examples. These use augmented reality to make you move around in the real world.
Virtual reality (VR) also started to be used for fitness games. Games like Beat Saber, Holodance, and OhShape let players get a good workout while playing.
Fitness Games During the Pandemic (2020s)
Fitness games became even more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ring Fit Adventure (2019) sold out everywhere. Nintendo also released Jump Rope Challenge (2020) for free. This helped Nintendo Switch owners stay active during lockdowns. Players recorded billions of jumps in the game.
Fitness games were very helpful during the pandemic. They motivated people to be active when stuck at home. Being physically fit helps your immune system. It also helps you recover faster from illnesses like COVID-19. Hospitals also used fitness games for patients. They were safer, needed less supervision, and used less protective gear. These games could be adjusted for different patients' needs.
How Effective Are Fitness Games?
Studies show that some fitness games can give you light to moderate exercise. They can be useful for rehabilitation too. Even if they are not as adjustable as special therapy games, they help people stay active. They can also help those who cannot go to traditional rehab.
Fitness games have helped in rehab programs during the pandemic. They are especially good for motivating sick children.
Health Benefits
Research has found many benefits from fitness games:
- A 2021 review found they can help reduce body mass index (BMI). They can also improve body fat and heart fitness.
- A 2020 review showed they can help older adults and people with conditions like Parkinson’s disease.
- A 2019 review found they improve muscle strength, balance, and daily activities. They might even help stroke patients prevent falls.
- A 2018 review found that fitness games can help older adults feel less lonely. They can also increase social connections.
- Another 2018 review found that fitness games can slightly reduce BMI in overweight children.
Fitness games can also help with brain function. Studies show they can improve thinking skills in older adults. They may also help people with conditions like Alzheimer's disease. There are also early signs that they can help with anxiety and conditions like ADHD.
Fitness games can be used by many disabled patients. Some games can remember a person's range of motion or if they use assistive devices.
Safety of Fitness Games
Fitness games are safe and affordable for stroke rehabilitation. They let patients practice skills in a virtual world that might be unsafe in real life. For example, a stroke patient with balance issues can practice crossing a street virtually. This is much safer than doing it in real traffic. Virtual obstacles in balance training also reduce the risk of falls.
How Fitness Games Are Designed
When a company makes a fitness game, they decide if it will work with regular games or need special software. Often, special software is needed because it takes time for a player to move their whole body. For example, Dance Dance Revolution is best played by moving on a dance pad. You can play it with a regular controller, but then it's not a workout.
Newer consoles like Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii use special ways to control games. The Kinect and PlayStation Move are examples. Kinect uses cameras to see your body movements. The Wii and PlayStation 3 controllers have motion sensors inside. These sensors detect how you move your hands.
One of the newest trends is using virtual reality (VR). VR systems can be great for athletic training. They can create controlled environments for practice. They can also add information to guide your performance. VR can change the environment to create different challenges. For example, you can be in a virtual velodrome for track cycling. Some VR systems use omnidirectional treadmills. These let you walk or run in any direction in the virtual world. This technology is new but shows good results for weight management and keeping people active.
See also
In Spanish: Videojuego activo para niños
