Cultural Review: Video Game Weight Loss

The world of video games is an ever growing outlet for entertainment. Less than 20 years ago, playing one was considered a nerdy thing to do, due in part to the increasing number of buttons on the controllers and the skill required to master them all, but now the gaming industry is mainstream, and is not always viewed as a complicated experience. In fact, some game developers are breaking away from using buttons completely, and choosing to utilize the player’s entire body to play the game. As a result, more and more people are getting up off the couch, and even shedding some pounds.

The particularly hot item out right now is Nintendo’s Wii, with its motion sensing controls that allow players to physically interact with games. When the system first came out onto store shelves three years ago, it was released with a free copy of Wii Sports, a game that includes five physically demanding activities: tennis, baseball, golf, bowling, and boxing. Shortly after this release, Wiihealthy.com was launched, documenting one man’s progressive weight loss over the course of a few weeks. He found that when playing the game, particularly the very active tennis and boxing, for about 30-45 minutes a day, he started to feel better, and noticed is slow but steady weight loss.

Compared to what the Wii has to offer today, Wii Sports might as well be extinct. Nintendo saw the opportunity their system brought forth for physical fitness, and developed the Wii Balance Board. Upon standing on it, it can sense your weight and determine which foot you put more weight on. The board was released with a game called Wii Fit, which provided the player with a proper work out determined by their weight, height, and personal goals. However, Wii Fit only really provided the player with something they could already find out using the Internet or going to a gym, and didn’t include a very detailed analysis of the player’s Body Mass Index or heart rate. And so, Nintendo came out only just recently with Wii Fit Plus, a game that solves these problems and offers up an even better physical experience.

For those of us who need a bit more of a fun distraction when trying to lose weight, Nintendo developed Motion Plus, an add-on that attaches to the bottom of the Wii controller. It allows for a more precise playing experience that was not before possible. For example, when playing tennis, twisting the controller and the angles of your swing actually matter. Sword fighting is no longer just wildly thrusting the controller, hoping to kill your enemy. This allows the player to be almost completely immersed into the gaming world, and to take their physical activity more seriously than before.

But Nintendo’s efforts do not stop there. Sometime in the near future, they plan on releasing the Wii Vitality Sensor, which is basically a sensor that plugs into the system and clips onto your index finger, providing even more accuracy in your daily workout. There is even talk of using the Wii’s Internet connection to send the results of your workout to your hospital, so your doctor can keep an eye on your progress.

Before the Wii was released, however, there were still games that required physical activity; they were mostly looked upon with disinterest by the adult community largely because they did not have the family-friendly spin that Nintendo have put on their products. Sony uses a device for their Playstation systems called the Eye Toy, a camera placed on or near the television and points at you so that they see yourself on the television screen. In some games that use the Eye Toy, an icon pops up on the screen, and you reach out with your arm to “hit” the icon. This has been utilized for games that focus on aerobics.

Another device that was developed for Playstation 2 is a single drum with thick sticks to beat it with. The game, Taiko Drum Set, is music-oriented, providing you with a wide range of songs of all different difficulties. Arguably the hardest song on the game forces you to literally pound on the drum non-stop, which really gives the muscles in your upper arm a workout. This is the same concept behind games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band; weight loss might not be occurring, but your arm usually burns after a good session.

Perhaps the most widely known game for physical fitness is the smash arcade system, Dance Dance Revolution. In this game, players dance on a square pad that has four different panels: Up, Down, Left, and Right. The arrows on the screen are synchronized to the music being played, and players dance to the beat on the corresponding arrow.

Originally available only in public arcades, Dance Dance Revolution is now available for all video game platforms. The Wii version even combines the dancing with hand gestures. The Playstation 2 has a version for the Eye Toy that incorporates upper body gestures as well, which provides for a more intense physical workout, and even a mental workout when trying to pay separate attention to both your upper and lower body. None of the previously mentioned games requires as much physical effort as Dance Dance Revolution, and while it might not be a game you consider fun, dancing games in general have the greatest potential for weight loss and toning up.

The great thing about most of these games is their relative simplicity. While Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero might take most people a while to get used to, games like Wii Sports and fitness games for the Eye Toy have an easy enough concept to pick up on. So if you are looking to lose a little weight or tone up and have fun during the process, and if you are someone who has always shied away from video games because they always seemed too complicated, then give these easy but fun games a try. There has never been a better time to do so.