I try to maintain a certain level of physical fitness. I am not “buff” or ready to compete in a triathlon, but I am no slouch at distance running and I lift a few weights as well. There have been some, interesting innovations in gaming and exercising at the same time, but none of them really get me excited. For a time, I would jog in place while playing Mass Effect. I did work up a sweat and get my pulse going, but trying to play a 3D game while bobbing in place is terribly difficult. I have an exercise bike, but since I am cheap it is a garage sale find and not terribly comfortable. A new seat might be all I need to fix this problem.
I guess I can't talk about gaming and fitness without mentioning the Wii Fit. Yes, I own one. No, I do not use it. I think it is a well designed product, but that the software that came with it has some major flaws. The exercises are good choices, not too high impact, but still effective if done regularly. My main problem with the software is that a half hour workout becomes at least an hour with Wii fit. Having to return to the menu every time you want to move on to the next step of your workout is cumbersome. I am fairly certain that Nintendo will make a Wii Fit “sequel” which will hopefully take care of this issue. What is really needed is the ability to queue up a certain amount of time in exercises and go through them, one at a time, without having to return to any menus. Short breaks can be added in as needed, but they should not be forced on more experienced exercisers.
I suppose for now my gaming and my fitness will have to remain separate. This does make me kind of sad. I can get more bang for my exercise buck on my eclectic collection of second-hand fitness machines than anything thus far enabled by the video game markets.
Ah, I am one of those weirdos that play Wii Fit nearly everyday. Okay, sure. I might not EXERCISE every day, but I at least get on it and see how my weight is.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you about the exercises, though. The time you spend between doing the workouts and managing the menus does nearly double the time that it takes to get in a workout. Some kind of a fix should be implemented into the next iteration of Wii Fit. Perhaps give the user the ability to set up an exercise list before they start the workout or something.
I really do enjoy Wii Fit, though, and through using it (and changing up my diet), I managed to lose about 15 lbs since last May. I was by no means "fat", but Wii Fit said I was "overweight (or whatever it says in the English version)."