The sedentary American lifestyle has contributed to an obesity
problem that has left people as big as houses. Americans get winded
just walking up to a treadmill. So why are some entrepreneurial
thinkers suggesting consumers should get more fit by playing more
video games?
A new video game market is emerging that requires players to
physically interact with the game. Last year, Sony Computer
Entertainment America launched the EyeToy, a motion-sensitive
camera that plugs into a PlayStation 2 console and literally puts
the player's image in the game-it's sold more than 3.5
million units worldwide. While the arcade game Dance Dance
Revolution was the first hugely successful "active" video
game, the EyeToy is the first product to have significant success
in the home market.
Richard Marks, inventor of EyeToy technology and manager of the
special projects group in the R&D division, says the intentions
behind creating the EyeToy were to make gaming appealing to
consumers who don't like joysticks or traditional button
controls-the possibility of making people healthier was a positive
side benefit they anticipated.
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Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software
Association, says the new niche of physically interactive games
may not dominate traditional games but will remain popular.
"The health benefits are an added value to what is already an
entertaining experience," says Lowenstein.
But there are companies that have built their products to
specifically thwart lethargy. Greg Merril, co-founder and CEO of
Powergrid
Fitness in Laurel, Maryland, says it was through the exercise
boredom of co-founder Phil Feldman that the kiloWatt was created.
The kiloWatt, which works with any major console or PC, is
basically a big joystick that the user moves around by pushing and
pulling-resulting in an exhausting, anaerobic game-play
experience.
Merril says the product will be available this month and
believes they're in on the beginning of a huge trend, as
it's hard for people to get motivated to exercise because it
requires a change in lifestyle. "The beauty of the kiloWatt
machine is that it taps into an activity that so many people are
already doing," says Merril. "They're motivated to
play these games. These games are addictive, and it makes that
addiction a healthy addiction-it turns that couch potato activity
into a sport."
Gamebike, invented by Ted Parks, an orthopedic surgeon in
Denver, is another product for those who find the gym unappealing.
The Gamebike,
which Parks licensed to bicycle equipment retailer Cateye, is
essentially a stationary bike that plugs into Sony's
PlayStation consoles and forces the user to pedal to play
games.
Marks, who came to Sony with the intention of creating EyeToy
and wanted the backing of a big company to help him get it to the
mass market, sees this market as a tremendous opportunity for
entrepreneurs to develop games geared toward hardware devices.
"Traditional developers in the game companies don't have
people to make these kinds of games," he says. "I think a
small team of people could now make a game that would be
competitive in this space."