Exergames Unlocked

Dance Dance Revolution Classroom Edition

migarza — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:26:51 +0000

Konami is now making it easier for schools to use Dance Dance Revolution for fitness programs, with a new version designed specifically for schools. They will officially unveil Dance Dance Revolution Classroom Edition at the California Association For Health, Physical Education, Recreation And Dance (CAHPERD) State Conference later this month. The DDR Classroom Edition will allow 48 dance mats to be connected to a single PC.

Using Video Games to Improve Fitness

migarza — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:32:24 +0000

With the obesity epidemic growing and Americans struggling to get active, exergames may actually help people improve their health. According to this article on Diabetes Forecast Online, there are a few reasons that exergames show promise in doing this: 1) exergames cause players to burn more calories than sedentary video games, 2) exergames are fun for an added enjoyment factor and 3) exergames are very accessible. There is also potential for exergames to help people lose weight and there may also be benefits for people with diabetes. A study is now testing whether DDR can lower average blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes more than treadmill walking.

The author of the online article suggests three ways to get the most out of exergames:

Use your whole body do more than wiggle your arm or shake your tush. Use full body movements to work your muscles and heart. You may not win more points, but you’ll burn more calories and get a better workout.
Play for at least 30 minutes a session to get a recommended daily dose of exercise. Set aside five play dates a week to reach the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity.
Keep it fresh. Exergames can make workouts fun, so make sure you’re playing games that pique your interest. If Boxing’s not your thing, try dancing.

Another School Using Exergames During The Day

migarza — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:28:36 +0000

It seems lately that more and more schools are starting to use exergames during the school day, either as a compliment to the physical education, for classroom physical activity breaks, before class starts or for indoor recesses. Northeast Elementary School students are using video games for fitness and health. The school, located in Kansas, recently received a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation Healthy Habits for Life to pay for three Nintendo Wii video game systems for students to use during their indoor recess periods. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation Healthy Habits for Life provides financial resources to schools that want to create programs to help combat childhood obesity. Since receiving the grant only first grade students at the school have had an opportunity to use the Wii systems and the kids really love being able to get up and move. Eventually kindergarten through fifth grade students will also be able to utilize the consoles and games, teachers just need to integrate them into their schedules.

Video games or traditional exercise – which is healthier?

migarza — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:06:58 +0000

Can using active video games for exercise, if done vigorously, provide you with the same aerobic benefit as other physical activity? Researchers from Brown University and the Miriam’s Behavioral and Preventive Medicine Center in Rhode Island are investigating whether they can give you the same workout and health benefits as going to a gym. The $2.5 million research project will compare 3 groups of participants; one group will use the Wii for an hour, another one will do standard exercises such as walking on a treadmill and aerobics for an hour and the last group will be the control group. The workouts will run for three consecutive months. Researchers will measure the body composition as well as cholesterol and cardiovascular fitness of each participant at the start and end of the study. The 300 participants in the study will also get weekly health assessments and return 6 months later for the final checkup.

Lunchtime workouts with Just Dance

migarza — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:33:54 +0000

We all know that there are as many excuses not to work out as there are hours in the day. But what if you could find 30-minutes during lunchtime to workout doing something fun with your co-workers? That is just what we are trying to do here at New Mexico State University. We have opened up our Learning Games Lab to faculty and staff in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences to come in for a 30-minute “dance party” – where we group dance to games like Just Dance, Just Dance 2 and 3, The Michael Jackson Experience, Abba Dance, Zumba and eventually other exergames if there is interest. So not only do the faculty and staff in the building get the opportunity to wiggle their arms and shake their hips, they get to have fun with other co-workers and lose calories at the same time.

I know 30 minutes of my workday will be spent dancing – will yours?

Great benefits of lunchtime workouts include:

Boosting your mood and energy level – a short workout can give you more energy to get through the rest of your work day.
Clearing your mind – moving your body can clear your mind and help you refocus for the rest of your day.
Reducing stress – exercise is a proven way to reduce stress
Providing you time to reflect – exercise time is great way to free your mind, solve problems or come up with new ideas

Dancing, beside being fun and a great way stay in hape, has many positive health benefits including:

Flexibility – Flexibility is an important part of being healthy.
Strength – Strength is defined as the ability of a muscle to exert a force against resistance.
Endurance – Endurance is the ability of muscles to work hard for increasingly longer periods of time without fatigue
Sense of Well-Being – Studies have shown that strong social ties and socializing with friends contribute to high self-esteem and a positive outlook.

Small study reveals that exergames could help fight dementia

migarza — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:54:11 +0000

Exergames, which can help keep the body fit, may actually help keep the mind fit as well. A study, which involved 101 volunteers, ages 58 to 99, from independent living facilities with indoor access to an exercise bike, revealed that ‘cybercycling’ two to three times per week for 3 months – yielded cognitive benefits and perhaps added protection against mild cognitive impairment. The results from this small study suggest that combining physical and mental exercise through exergaming could have even more beneficial effects on cognition in older adults than normal exercise alone.

New Games for Health Journal Coming in February

migarza — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:13:02 +0000

The Games for Health Journal: Research, Development, and Clinical Applications, under the editorial leadership of Editor-in-Chief Bill Ferguson, PhD and other leading investigators, will publish its inaugural issue in February. The Journal is a new, bimonthly peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the development, use, and applications of game technology for improving physical and mental health and well-being. It will cover topics such as:

Nutrition, weight management, obesity
Disease prevention, self-management, and adherence
Cognitive, mental, emotional, and behavioral health
Games in home-to-clinic telehealth systems

More information can be found at: http://www.liebertpub.com/products/product.aspx?pid=398

Nintendo Wii is an exercise option for older adults

migarza — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:46:00 +0000

A recent survey by Saga, in a poll of more than 10,000 older people, found that 80 per cent were more conscious of the need to exercise in their senior years than they were in their thirties. These older adults are also looking at different avenues to stay in shape as well. Video games are proving to be a popular tool to offer a bit of exercise with one in 25 adults over-50 exercises using Nintendo’s Wii Fit videogame and the title is even popular among those who have long since retired, with one in 50 adults over-75 using the game to keep fit.

Video Game Project to Offer Exercise for Blind Children

migarza — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:25:43 +0000

Lack of physical activity can be a serious health concern for visually impaired children, but perhaps soon, exergames can help. A VI Fit (Visually-Impaired Fit) project out of the University of Nevada, Reno recently received a large grant from the National Science Foundation to explore how video exercise games can be played without using visual feedback so the visually impaired. The project will build on previous successful research where the team already created several exergames that can be played using sounds and vibrations, and can be played using a low-cost motion-sensing controller such as the Wii remote. In this current stage of the project, researchers hope to develop novel interaction techniques that explore turning a user’s body into a display device that can be accessed in an ear- and eye-free manner.

http://carsonnow.org/story/10/14/2011/unr-video-game-project-offer-exercise-blind-children

Lots of new dance games on the horizon

migarza — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 21:00:27 +0000

We can all agree that dance games are quickly rising to the top of the music genre, therefore it is not surprise that there are several new dance games scheduled for release over the next few weeks.

October 7 – Just Dance 3 will release for the Wii, Kinect and Move. It will have over 40 all-new tracks, featuring a variety of musical genres that will appeal to everyone, new modes to extend game, an opportunity for players to interact with the in-game environment and be a part of the action, have a more advanced training program with calculated Cardio Training and feature an expanding list of down-loadable tracks.

October 25 – Just Dance Kids 2 will release for the Wii, Kinect and Move. It will feature 40 fun and crazy dance routines to kids favorite songs, including hits from today’s most popular artists, TV shows and movies. It will get kids of all ages up and dancing with colorful graphics, super-fun dance moves, and kid-friendly gameplay!

October 25 – Dance Central 2 will release will for the Kinect. The new game will feature another killer soundtrack, new simultaneous multiplayer play, all-new dance crews, detailed feedback for each player and enabled voice commands within the practice process.

November 8 – The Black Eyed Peas Experience will release for the Wii and the Kinect. In this game you play as a customized avatar in a dance-off against the Peas themselves in a pumping, all-Black Eyed Peas discotheque.

November 15 – Abba You Can Dance releases for the Wii. You can enjoy Abba’s rich catalog of classic songs, as you unleash your inner dancing queen and play for fun with up to four friends. The game also features a Mini-Musical where you can perform a story through the music of ABBA and Karaoke Mode where up to two additional friends can join in on vocals.