Games with a healthy focus
2008-06-27 12:10
Raleigh - Video games are known to improve hand-eye co-ordination but can they help someone quit smoking or lose weight?
Hot on the heels of Nintendo's smash success,
Wii Fit, game makers are introducing new titles with a
healthy focus, such as French game publisher Ubisoft's Allen
Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking that hits on Nintendo DS in
November.
Over 10 million smokers worldwide have turned to Allen
Carr's Easyway books, clinics or DVD in order to stop smoking
but now smokers wanting to quit can instead play 14 mini-games.
The games, designed by Ubisoft's Quebec studio
and Allen Carr's team, focus on why people smoke rather than
why they shouldn't.
"Each game has been designed to be very accessible, using
only the stylus on the Nintendo DS, so a non-gamer can have fun
instantly," said Denis Dore, producer of the game.
"We are not talking here about a game that will allow you
to gain virtual rewards, but one that can in fact help you quit
smoking."
Robin Hayley, CEO of Allen Carr's Easyway International,
said research has shown that people absorb information better
when they are actively and enjoyably engaged in a learning
process.
In addition, the game could attract younger smokers who
are less inclined to visit a clinic or read books to quit the
habit and being played on Nintendo DS makes the games portable.
"Some games explain and illustrate the points better than
is possible in a book as, using the senses of touch and
vision," said Hayley.
Walk the Great Wall of China
Ubisoft is also putting weight loss in your palm this
summer with My Weight Loss Coach for Nintendo DS, which just shipped.
This game comes with a pedometer that gamers can wear all
day then plug into their DS to feed that data into a game.
If a player walks enough, the game will let them know when
they've navigated the equivalent of the Great Wall of China.
In addition to mini-games and quizzes on fitness, the
virtual weight loss coach makes suggestions like taking the
stairs rather than the elevator and parking farther away from
the store.
"My Weight Loss Coach is designed to help players develop
healthy lifestyle habits like eating well and staying active,"
said Ubisoft spokesperson Tony Key.
"Wii Fit's positive reception is a signal that people are
interested in being active, and getting fit, as long as it's
engaging and fun."
Legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of
such characters as Mario, Donkey Kong and Link, has made
exercise fun with his latest creation, Wii Fit.
The game uses a balance board that tracks shifts in weight.
In addition to the recently shipped We Ski from Namco Bandai, various new games, including Ubisoft's Shaun White
Snowboarding and Electronic Arts' SKATE IT, will use the board.
Like the Wii console, Wii Fit has been sold out since it
shipped in North America last month. The game's already sold
over 688 000 units at $90 each, according to The NPD Group.
Michael Pachter, video game analyst for Wedbush Morgan
Securities, believes Wii Fit sales will top three million this year as long as Nintendo can keep up with demand.
Miyamoto said he would like families to use Wii Fit
together and make gamers more conscious of exercise and what
they eat.
Before Wii revolutionised the concept of physically
participating in games with a motion-sensor controllers, Konami
introduced the dance mat game DanceDanceRevolution to
Japanese arcades in 1998 which migrated to North America a few
years later and made its console debut on PlayStation in 2001.
The game is still going strong and is even bought by
schools.
Miyamoto said not to expect "magic" weight loss with games
like Wii Fit but they could encourage people as if games can get people into exercising routinely, they will start to notice changes in their bodies.