Tuesday, May 19, 2009

My first workout on EA Sports Active....

5-19-09: Having just completed my first workout on the EA Sports Active that came out this AM, it's too early for me to rate the game on the whole, but I do have some initial observations.... 

While there were some components on it that were fun, like the kickboxing and punching section, running in place around a track was not that fun. Running around a track in real life is just as boring in the virtual world as well! 

Now if they had me running thru a minefield, or avoiding things, or trying to get things, whatever--if it actually was a GAME, then running in place in my living room might actually be fun. 

But my sense is that all the various workout "games", starting with Yourself Fitness, doesn't seem to really make it fun just because it's a workout in a virtual setting and I can choose the look of my avatar and the virtual trainer can give me compliments like, "You're poetry in motion."  

I hope that these workout games, with their celebs promoting them, aren't just a new version of their DVD workouts that is totally not interactive. Being interactive does not automatically mean it's fun. 

So if we're designing games for health to reach those folks who find running around a track boring, I think these game companies will have to really think outside of the box and come up with truly FUN and interactive games to reach the sedentary masses. 

Maybe I'm being a bit too rough after just the 1st day of working out on it, so I'll stick out the 30 day challenge I entered and see how it grows on me. Stay tuned! 

BTW, if you're in FB, I'm posting updates on this workout on my "Dr. Medina's We Wii Against Diabesity" group, so feel free to join us in there!

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