Last month, the British government’s Department of Health released this public service announcement.
In response, the videogame news publication MCV lodged an official complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority and drummed up outraged responses from Codemasters, Konami, Sega and Atari as well as the gaming industry body ELSPA.
According to a report by MCV, Sony was even threatening to sue because no permission was sought to use a PlayStation pad.
The ASA also received 25 complaints from members of the public. 25 out of of 60 million people.
So, to avoid any potential lawsuits, the ad was scrapped….
In this commercial, the animated Change4Life family find ways to get their kids to be active for 60 minutes per day.
Solutions include playing videogames that require physical exertion – think Dance Dance Revolution – as well as walking to school and playing in the park.
But, despite the angle being pushed by this new campaign, the TV ad could still anger the games industry. In an opening scene, one of the characters, voiced by a young girl, is seen doing sedentary activities such as playing an “inactive” video game.
And we wouldn’t want to make the video games industry mad, would we?
Pathetic.
We are so afraid of lawsuits that we can’t say that: KIDS WHO SPEND HOURS PLAYING VIDEO GAMES ARE MORE LIKELY TO GET FAT THAN KIDS WHO DON’T PLAY VIDEO GAMES FOR HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS.
There, I said it.
Bring it on video game companies, bring it on.
.
But wait. Maybe there is a way that video games could actually help to reduce childhood obesity.
I am no technical genius, but doesn’t Nintendo’s Wii Remote, Balance Board, etc already use a variety of motion sensing technologies to enable the user to physically interact with the game.
However, most of that interaction is limited to a series of wrist flicks and thumb action.
What if video games had total body interaction between player and game?
If you want your 1st person shooter to run fast, you have to run fast (on the spot, using the Wii balance board).
If you want your race car to drive fast, you have to pedal your stationary bike fast (equpped with some form of accelerometer).
Total body interaction…not just thumbs and wrists.
And, I bet that all of the technology required to do this already exists.
Being a personal trainer, I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have been asked about Nintendo’s Wii Fit.
Is it a good workout?
Will it help me lose fat?
Will I be sucked into the Wii Fit like Jeff Bridges in the movie Tron?
My answers:
It depends
Probably not
Highly unlikely…I hope
What is Wii Fit?
For those readers without children, the Wii Fit is a video game developed by Nintendo for the Wii console. The Wii Fit is unique in that it uses the Wii controller and the Wii Balance Board to enable the user to play a variety of “exercise” games.
In an attempt to market this product as a quasi health device, the Wii Fit calculates your BMI and after a few balance and reaction tests, assigns you a Wii Fit Age.
The goal of the Wii Fit is that by exercising with the Wii Fit, you will be able to lower your BMI and Wii Fit Age.
Is the Wii Fit a good workout?
As I mentioned above, it depends.
If you are even moderately physically fit, the Wii Fit is a waste of time.
In an article published in the National Post, the Wii Fit was tested in the exercise physiology lab at McGill University. Researcher Tania Taivassalo put the Wii Fit through it’s paces to see what sort of workout you can get with it.
The researchers tested the Wii Fit running game and the hula hoop game.
“According to Jean-Philippe Marchand, a kinesiology master’s student who tested the product in the lab, both the running and hula hoop game required the testers to work out at the equivalent of 60% of maximum aerobic power for children. These results classify the games as light physical activity with the potential to improve fitness among those new to exercise, but with little potential to do the same among the fit population”
Even worse than the low level of intensity was the fact that both games offer only short bursts of activity (under five minutes).
Low intensity plus short duration does not equal Olympic marathon champion.
The researchers’ final word on the Wii Fit: “It is definitely meant for sedentary people or for kids to have fun while exercising — as opposed to sitting and moving their thumbs only.”
So, if you, or someone you love is a video game junkie and really, really, really needs to get in shape, the Wii Fit may be a good place to start.
It’s not too intense for a beginner, and it addresses most of the aspects of physical fitness:
Unless you are very desperate, I would hold off on buying the Wii Fit.
While it is incredibly popular right now, I have a strong feeling that in a few months, there will be quite a few gently used Wii Fits being offered for sale on Ebay.
