Elaine Alvarez does her morning workout using Kinect Fitness. Photo by: Richard Samaniego
The holidays are over and what are you left with besides some cool gifts and a smile? An increase in your waistline and maybe some tight jeans that are not of the Skinny brand. Time to hit the gym, but who wants to go through that ordeal? The gym is full of sweaty people who make you feel worse and costs you can’t afford. Get your health up the gamer way.
Lose weight learning a new dance step, or compete for Gold in track and field events. Get your sweat flowing with a little boxing or slash your way through epic adventures as Zelda. All in the safety and warmth of your home. There is a title for anyone and any age and all will engage you physically.
Gaming is huge, but can lead to some unhealthy habits such as junk food consumption and lack of sunshine. You’re definitely not burning calories killing zombies into the late hours of the night. The gaming industry knew it had to come up with a way to get your body more involved. Thus the motion gaming concept was born.
The advent of motion gaming is only getting better. Now with all three major gaming brands, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo, putting forth their own unique systems, the market has something for everyone. Here’s the breakdown.
Motion gaming has been around for a while but it wasn’t until Nintendo’s Wii that we got a chance to play at home. It usually required pumping quarters into Dance Dance Revolution at the arcade to get your heart rate up. Suddenly you’re off the couch, controller in hand, bowling or boxing your friend. Their new Zelda game Skyward Sword uses dynamic sword swings and jumps to dispatch an enemy.
PlayStation followed up with the Move system but still required you to have controller in hand. Though the tech inside this system was cleaner than Wii you still have to worry about batteries dying and the possible inebriated friend who sends the controller flying through your flat screen. They have a rifle attachment for the controller so it feels like you are holding a real weapon during your team death matches. Playing two hours of Socom every night is a great way to tone up your guns. The Move system uses a light meter to capture the movement of your controller, hence the light up glowing ball on the end.
Enter Xbox 360 and the amazing Kinect. Controller free gaming, voice activated controls and games that really get your blood pumping. These units flew off the shelves setting The Guinness Book Of World Records for Fastest Selling Consumer Device. Imagine never having to find a controller or the many attachments. Never having to replace batteries. Having a piece of technology that boasts two cameras, three internal speakers and an infrared camera that picks up motion and helps differentiate from background and foreground. Basically your brother can’t wave his hands around to throw you off.
Titles such as Kinect Sports and UFC Trainer take your morning routine to another level. Computer controlled trainers guide you through some intense workouts. Kinect Fitness uses the infrared camera to gain an accurate image of your body movements. Even Fido running across the floor will be picked up but still not interfere with the game play.
”It’s definitely fun and does get you tired,” said Jerrod Tejeda of Visalia.
All titles require movement from jumping to running in place. Hand and arm movement can be interpreted into anything from a sword being swung to a javelin throw. If you’re looking for a fun way to get in shape, motion gaming is here. In Child of Eden for Kinect you move your hands around to shoot digital viruses in space. Think Geometry Wars but with much more intensity. Lift both of your arms into the air and suddenly clear the scene of all enemies. Doesn’t sound too strenuous but after completing a level you are definitely looking for your water bottle. Upcoming titles such as Kinect Star Wars will finally give the sense of using the Force and swinging a light saber. Kinect Sports Two will have football where when you say, “HIKE” it starts the play. Drop back and make a toss to your buddy for the touchdown. Kinect registers running in place as movement and the faster you pump your legs the faster you go.
“Soccer games get really heated when playing with my son,” said Sean Taylor “He loves to play Fruit Ninja too.” Fruit Ninja is just like the phone version except you slice with your whole arm swinging through the air.
An educated mind needs a strong body to support it. Get up and move. Be active outside whenever you can. But remember on those cold, rainy days when you don’t feel up to the morning jog, your friend the video game will help shed some unwanted pounds.
