Workout? I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Dave.
Those of you who have been following my writing to this point will know that I’m not one of those fitness bloggers who is always up on a soapbox. I find that type of condescension horribly unbecoming. I also don’t think it projects a terribly positive image of what the health and wellness community is about. It’s for those reasons that I’m going to ask your forgiveness for what I’m about to write. I promise to put the soapbox back where I found it when I’m through.
This week, the Electronic Entertainment Expo descends upon the Los Angeles convention center. For the uninitiated, E3 is where video game publishers spend gobs of money on fancy displays in the hopes of attracting retail support and generating buzz for their upcoming titles. It’s also where, Monday morning, Microsoft unveiled the opening lineup for their upcoming Kinect (formerly Project Natal) motion-control hardware. And, of course, with the announcement of Rare’s sports title came the standard office banter around how fit and healthy gamers would become with this new hardware. And that’s where this post comes in.
Power Pad Redux
Exergaming isn’t a new concept. As a child of the ’80s and a gamer (as well as a game industry employee), the problem I have with the argument that motion control will create a generation of trim and fit gamers is the same one I had when I got this for Christmas.
Aww, sweet! Wii Fit '80s Edition!
As a fitness strategy, exergaming is fundamentally flawed. And I’m hardly the first person to point this out. Most physicians recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day. In practice though, in a 30 minute session of Wii Sports Resort, approximately thirty percent of your time is spent actually playing the game. The other seventy percent is spent navigating menus and waiting for your turn. I got similar measurements with Wii Fit Plus and Raving Rabbids. So, in reality, your 30 minutes of exergaming is more like 10 minutes of exercise punctuated by 20 sedentary minutes.
Of course, as a money-making strategy, it’s downright brilliant. What better way to sell games than with the promise of turning weight-loss into a game? Not to mention, kids want to play video games, and parents want their kids to be active. Games like Wii Fit and Kinect Sports are the perfect compromise, right?
A Special Place In Hell Reserved For Marketing
The fundamental issue that I take with all of these games is the way that they’re being marketed. All of these games are being sold as serious health and fitness products. Now, there’s some debate in the fitness community as to whether we should expect consumers to take these claims at face value, and I’m willing to give some leeway to products like Rayman and Wii Sports which are, in fact, games.
However, products like Wii Fit aren’t being marketed as entertainment products. In my book, that’s outright deception. To be sure, there’s a benefit to incorporating any form of activity into your routine if the alternative is being completely sedentary. However, I worry when people start viewing these sorts of products as legitimate alternatives to the gym or even something as simple, yet beneficial as taking a walk.
As Close As You Can Get Without Actually Playing
The one piece of marketing that irks me most, and that I keep hearing, is how each new hardware iteration (be it Wii MotionPlus, PlayStation Move, or Microsoft’s Kinect) makes playing these games “like actually playing.”
See! It's just like the real thing!
But, see, here’s the thing (and I apologize in advance – this is the whiniest bit of this article), they already make an experience that’s like playing all these sports. It’s called going out and playing them. As in, in Real Life™. With a real ball, or puck. In a real pool, or on a real field.
The more we encourage people to participate in these sports by proxy, the less value the real experience holds. Sure, Kinect can map your whole skeleton and help you learn to play these games with proper form, but what’s the point if you’ll never actually play them? You wouldn’t let a surgeon operate on you if she only practiced on a simulation, but never on a cadaver (not that that’s terribly encouraging either), would you?
The Road Ahead
The fundamental problem right now is that we are selling people on “fitness products” with little to no basis in exercise science. I want to be clear, I think that games could be a viable and valuable tool if properly implemented, not unlike home workout videos. However, in their present state they’re little more than a multi-billion dollar disappointment . That is, unless you’re a shareholder.
What do you all think? What do we need to do to transform the exergaming industry from fluff to fit? Let me know in the comments.
Not fired up yet? Check out other fitness articles. Or consider reading a random article from TimWoodbury.com.
Tim, I have to disagree with you here. As an owner of a Wii fit and someone who tipped the scale at 250 over the Christmas season I have to say these are a benefit to the sedentary lifestyle of a lot of people. While not an excuse not to exercise, you are given the opportunity to break a sweat, move and get the blood moving as opposed to running a raid in some MMO – along with some guidance on caloric intake, eating habits and other poor life choices. Obviously there are flaws, but honestly, there are flaws to actual exercise as well if not done properly. All in all I have to say that the Wii Fit not only got me off the couch and back into my pants, it also got me motivated to actually go outside and do the real thing! While it may not work for everyone, I think it holds truth to those who are committed but have 2 jobs and cant find the time or money to hit a gym or find a field/court to play on… When you only have 45 minutes in the day, hopping on the Wii is a very good alternative to sitting and watching a show…
Hi Dave,
Thank you for the well-reasoned response. As I mentioned, and you reiterated, if the alternative is being completely sedentary then these products are a wonderful alternative. And you’re right, of course. These sorts of products can be a great springboard into actual exercise for some people.
The problem I have with them is that very few people have the dedication and drive that you’ve demonstrated, and that’s what is needed to benefit from them (no different than real exercise, really). Game marketers know that most people will never succeed with these products, but they still hold them up like some sort of silver bullet. How many people stick with it for even a month? I don’t know too many, personally. Even in your response, you suggest that you’ve moved on to real exercise.
You’ve accomplished something that you should be quite proud of, making this hardware work for you. Unfortunately, I doubt many others can make the same claims – although, I’d love to be proven wrong.
All the best,
Tim
Thanks for the input here. Appreciate the views. Seems like a few people do play these games for health purposes. At least, as you say, it’s better than nothing.
Absolutely! And, for a lot of people, it is a good start. For a very small few, it may even be enough exercise. My problem is much less with the games than with the marketing hype surrounding them. Not really a ton different than how gyms make their money (see point #1 here).
I have to confess, I’ve been a huge Venture Natal/Kinect sceptic ever since it was introduced with that sham Milo walkthrough and an awful lot of hyperbole. I have been trying to keep an open thoughts but the numerous rumours which have circulated about house, lighting and multiplayer issues have been a trigger for concern. The advertising choice that Microsoft took to put this in the palms of mainstream journalists and celebrities reasonably than anyone who truly has experience and expertise writing about gaming was extremely worrying.