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Shalafi
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- Nov 6, 2009
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http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/14/health/video-gamers-bodybuilders-fitocracy/index.html?hpt=hp_abar
I stumbled across this article and found it interesting. I think the concept is sound, but I'm not sure how well it would work outside of the theory.
Basically, we're all gamers here, we like video games, we all play them for different reasons, but the one uniting reason is that we play them because we love them. Fun is always the bottom line, but as human beings we all like the reward factor which comes from being GOOD at a video game, as in being able to feel self-satisfied in achieving competency and being able to measure your progress in playing a game.
Well, these guys decided to apply the lessons they learned from playing games such as World of Warcraft. WoW is well known to most of you as a game that requires you to go on quests, accomplish objectives, and doing so not only levels you up, but also opens up more quests for you to complete and continue the progress of your character.
Well, in their method of getting you to achieve personal fitness on a level you may have been lacking the will to achieve is to make it appear like your quest to become physically fit is to structure it in a series of quests that you need to complete. You guessed it, complete quests to open up more objectives and quests to continue progressing, only this time, YOU are the main character, and this is real life, not a virtual collection of pixels that represents you.
I think that games like Wii Fit for the Wii were just the tip of the iceberg, but fitness games aren't new, they have existed as far back as Track & Field on the NES many years ago.
This is just a new way of getting us, a generation of gamers that are generally out of shape and the obesity rate in America is climbing into shape. It uses a structure that we, as gamers, are really familiar with to help us achieve our fitness goals.
It helps you feel like you're accomplishing something by making you see quests as a personal goal and you're able to measure your progress by "leveling up".
Seems like a neat concept, what do you guys think after reading the article?
I think what it proves is that video games aren't "evil" or "bad" as the mainstream media likes to popularly portray, but instead, they can be used for good benefit to the rest of us outside of the entertainment they provide us with.
I stumbled across this article and found it interesting. I think the concept is sound, but I'm not sure how well it would work outside of the theory.
Basically, we're all gamers here, we like video games, we all play them for different reasons, but the one uniting reason is that we play them because we love them. Fun is always the bottom line, but as human beings we all like the reward factor which comes from being GOOD at a video game, as in being able to feel self-satisfied in achieving competency and being able to measure your progress in playing a game.
Well, these guys decided to apply the lessons they learned from playing games such as World of Warcraft. WoW is well known to most of you as a game that requires you to go on quests, accomplish objectives, and doing so not only levels you up, but also opens up more quests for you to complete and continue the progress of your character.
Well, in their method of getting you to achieve personal fitness on a level you may have been lacking the will to achieve is to make it appear like your quest to become physically fit is to structure it in a series of quests that you need to complete. You guessed it, complete quests to open up more objectives and quests to continue progressing, only this time, YOU are the main character, and this is real life, not a virtual collection of pixels that represents you.
I think that games like Wii Fit for the Wii were just the tip of the iceberg, but fitness games aren't new, they have existed as far back as Track & Field on the NES many years ago.
This is just a new way of getting us, a generation of gamers that are generally out of shape and the obesity rate in America is climbing into shape. It uses a structure that we, as gamers, are really familiar with to help us achieve our fitness goals.
It helps you feel like you're accomplishing something by making you see quests as a personal goal and you're able to measure your progress by "leveling up".
Seems like a neat concept, what do you guys think after reading the article?
I think what it proves is that video games aren't "evil" or "bad" as the mainstream media likes to popularly portray, but instead, they can be used for good benefit to the rest of us outside of the entertainment they provide us with.
