Saturday, May 28

Gamercize at Games for Health 2011

Gamercize Pro-Sport for Xbox 360 Lights up GFH

I have been to the Games for Health conference before and the return to Boston was always going to promise something special. After the school and PE focus of national AAHPERD in San Diego a month earlier, this conference takes out the teachers and replaces them with academics.

I attended to support Gamercize primarily, which was exhibited at the conference by Motion Fitness in the Exergaming Tent. Gamercize was more than a product on show, however, with many of the presentations using the equipment as an example of exergaming.

One of the most notable mentions of Gamercize was from President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Shellie Pfohl. You may have remembered my post on her visit to the University of South Florida's active gaming labs, with thanks to, and run by Lisa Witherspoon (http://gamercize.blogspot.com/2010/11/healthy-people-of-tomorrow-play-video.html)

In Shellie's presentation she talked passionately about exergaming as a motivator to health and fitness, making an example of the Gamercize Power Stepper used with Toy Story 3 there, saying "I experienced it, I witnessed it and I thought it was pretty cool." I would agree with her that in the hands on consumers en-mass, there would be some positive results.

Meanwhile, back in the Exergaming tent I was introduced to officials of the National Active Gaming League (NAGL), a brainchild of Dr Ernie Medina. It did not take much introduction before the game was on!

At Games for Health we had the advantage of the new Afterglow controllers for Xbox 360 used with our Gamercize equipment. These definitely add another dimension to the experience of playing real video games with real exercise!

As for the score in the FIFA match I played... No comment!

My schedule in the US has been hectic but enjoyable over the last two and a half years, with visits to many US cities and I'm happy with what we have done over there. There are emerging markets in Asia, Europe and the Middle East which will benefit from my experience stateside, which is where my focus moves now having built the presence required to keep Gamercize rocking in the Land of the Free!