Friday, May 21, 2010

Army of Adruinos Powering Next-Gen ExerGames


I enjoy seeing the many projects out there that have to deal with movement and interaction (Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Example 4); however, I'm starting to believe we're seeing too much replication and not enough immersive play elements or game design elements. That's not to say that these projects aren't totally awesome  - I can't do any of these projects - I'm simply commenting as an outsider who sees massive potential in these interactive architecture and exhibits to help to combat a sedentary lifestyle and low amounts of physical activity. The wall is powered by 3 Arduinos, 5 Maxbotix LV-EZ3 proximity sensors, 12 servos and 2 TLC5940s that control 32 high power led drivers that power 64 3 watt LEDs for RGBW color mixing.


FYI - Terrible soundtrack so make sure your sound is not turned up.
interactivewall.jpg
Although not motion sensing, the LightSpace Floor and Makato Arena will be on display at the Games For Health in Boston next week with Tommy, Ed and Parker from Exergame Fitness
Audience - rAndom International from Chris O'Shea on Vimeo.


Tone Garden from Stephanie McCarty on Vimeo.


Anthros from Rich Gilbank on Vimeo.
Anthros is an interactive installation which leverages the characteristics of emergence for an immersive experience.  It was shown at Meta 2010 at Arta Gallery in the distillery district of Toronto, Ontario.  

[Via Make, MakeCreativeApplications,  USF ]

Super Mario Brothers on a Dance Pad (Newest Older ExerGame)

Nick Hagman (AKA DJ17Nario) has hacked lots of things including using a Guitar Hero (via Openchord.org) to play Virtua Figher but in the more physically demanding arena, he played (and beat it on the 15th take) Super Mario Brothers on NES Virtual Console on the Wii and used the NES dance pad as the controller. Remember when games could be finished in 10 minutes (after lots of practice)? 


Poll: Have modern video games gotten too complicated and have game controllers become too precise to be played by people of all abilities?customer surveys





Game controller 1
Now my question is can either the NES dance pad or the newer Wii dance pads or Outdoor Challenge pads can be used as alternate game controllers on current Wii titles?
[Images via Joystiq & LiftLab]

Be sure to check out Judy Shasek's Footgaming site for all matters related to playing hundreds of PC (Flash-based) games using a dance pad and pc controller/adapter. 
FootGaming with FootPOWR



In less than a week we will be putting the wraps on the biggest and best Games for Health Conference in Boston, MA. With 6 different tracks including ExerGaming/Active Gaming, Games for Sensorimotor Rehab, Cognitive & Emotional Health and more, there will be plenty to see and do. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@syangman) and this blog for more exciting details of the G4H 2010 and be sure to use the hashtag #GFH2010. Check out some highlights from last year’s conference and many of the great speakers we had lined up. 

GFH2010 Keynote - Dr. Richard Marks - The Mind-Body Experience of Sony Move

In less than a week we will be putting the wraps on the biggest and best Games for Health Conference in Boston, MA. With 6 different tracks including ExerGaming/Active Gaming, Games for Sensorimotor Rehab, Cognitive & Emotional Health and more, there will be plenty to see and do. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@syangman) and this blog for more exciting details of the G4H 2010 and be sure to use the hashtag #GFH2010. Check out some highlights from last year’s conference and many of the great speakers we had lined up. 

This year’s line-up is massive especially with Dr. Richard Marks giving the Keynote on  the Opening Day. His talk called “The Mind-Body Experience of Sony Move: Relationships between Gaming, Play, Exercise, and More!” will explore the many hurdles Sony's developers faced trying to follow-up on the success of EyeToy and adding new peripherals for improved game-play.

I still love EyeToy for its simplicity and ease of play for all generations and all abilities.  I am a little worried about the current generation of controllers that are getting so sophisticated that it will make it harder for people with disabilities to interact with the games.

Our full schedule will be available later in 2010 but you can see the planned schedule outline now here.
Get pumped for the GFH 2010 & Games Beyond Entertainment Week May 24-27, 2010 in Boston.



For all your exergaming needs and information, be sure to visit the unbiased source for all things related to ExerGaming and Active Gaming at The Exergame Network (TEN) and of course here on the ExerGame Lab blog.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Facesay - Social Skills Game for Students with Autism

My student Jenna Monahan created this autism awareness video as part of her final project this semester and she   nailed it!  The pc-based game she played is called FaceSay. There are some great research findings available on their website. The online video creator we used was Animoto and it does a fantastic job of getting professional video transitions, adding text and include short video clips.

Analog Tetris is Physical & Fun



Analog Tetris is project out of Codeco.org that has blocks of wood that slide on an inclined plane and like the real tetris, you have to place them correctly before your stacks overflow. Sort of reminds me of the arm-wrestling Tetris I featured a while ago. Watching the video it becomes evident you can move your pieces after they've fallen and it's not clear how you clear your row/ blocks.  Otherwise it looks pretty fun and I'd definitely give it a whirl.  You can even rent the Analog Tetris for your next event. 


[Via Designboom and Geekologie]



Tetris analógico // Analogical Tetris from Esferobite-DSK on Vimeo.





Be sure to check out iDANCE and LightSpace at the Games for Health Conference in Boston, MA next week.  Play those two games and more to win great prizes from the ExerGame Lab and other members of the ExerGame Network.



For all your exergaming needs and information, be sure to visit the unbiased source for all things related to ExerGaming and Active Gaming at The Exergame Network (TEN) and of course here on the ExerGame Lab blog.

Be sure to watch for updates and coverage coming from the 2010 Games for Health Conference - May 25-27th from Boston.

Our biggest and most advance event ever promises to provide great insight to the growing worlds of exergaming/active games, health training games, disease management efforts, and much much more.

Our conference platform provides attendees with great content, important networking opportunities, and a focus on providing opportunities to develop new projects and improve existing efforts.   In 2010 we are adding more defined and community led tracks and concentrating on greatly improving exhibits and non-session oriented content and activity.

Our full schedule will be available later in 2010 but you can see the planned schedule outline now here.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Wii Rowing Adapter

The Kings and Queens of Wii Accessories (CTA) have done it again. First it was the bowling bowl, then the football, Fit Board, and now it has come to the Rowing/kayak/ab machine adapter.  With a place to strap your feet and a small cable ( a la Game Trak), you can now play Wii Sports Resort paddling with a little more realism and tension control, minus the boat rocking/stability aspect. $35 gets you into the game at Amazon.
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[Laughs via Engadget]

ExerGame Pullup

Raft approachingFloyd has done it again, just releasing an ExerGame project titled "Hanging Off a Bar" where the object is to hang onto a bar for as long as you can while game elements are projected on the floor below you. Occasionally rafts come by which allow you to put your feet on the ground, then as the raft scrolls off the floor, you have to grab the bar and hang again. Bravo Floyd and team at Interaction Lab.  (Images Via Exertion Interfaces website)




This is how Floyd describes his newest game:
Hanging off a Bar is an Exertion Game (Exergame) that entices players to hang off a bar as long as they can by augmenting the activity with a computer game element: projected under the player is a river with rafts coming by, on which the player can jump to recover, but not for too long, because the raft goes down the waterfall, so the player has to jump back up on the bar again!


Comment:
In the title of the movie clip, it says "Hanging off a Bar - An Exertion Game (Exergame) with no Movement!". At first glance when I see the words "no movement" I infer that there is no muscle activity; however, in physiological terms players' muscles are contracting isometrically in that the muscle remains the same length. This does not imply that no muscle activity occurring, just that there is no discernible shortening or lengthening of the muscles being used. Other isometric contractions include pushing on the sides of a doorway with your hands or holding yourselves up in the push-up position.  I suppose it also depends on how the players interact with the bar, whether they do a pull up or simply hang.


Wouldn't it Be Cool (WIBC) - I wonder if they could have a height sensor that would force the players to get their legs up over a height - maybe in the form of an image projected on the side wall - which would force the player to really work different muscle groups  especially the abs.


AHA response to Good Morning America (GMA) segment

Here we go. The official press machine has gone into overdrive after yesterday morning's Good Morning America (GMA) news piece. In response to the facts revealed and a way to further explain the releationship between the American Heart Association (AHA) and Nintendo, the AHA released the following statement:


Please take the following poll to weigh in on your thoughts.  The results of this poll will be featured at the upcoming Games for Health Conference in Boston, MA - May 25-27, 2010.








On a side note, I would love to be a part of the Innovation Summit mentioned on their website so that I can bring a more rounded perspective about exergaming and active gaming and their health benefits.



News Releases
American Heart Association response to Good Morning America segment
Contact: Elizabeth Moreno
elizabeth.moreno@heart.org
(214)706-1644

Today, Monday, May 17, 2010, ABC’s Good Morning America aired a story on the American Heart Association’s just announced strategic relationship with Nintendo of America (NOA).

We would like to provide some additional information to paint a more complete picture of this important announcement.

The AHA/NOA relationship is focused only on the “active gaming” products of Nintendo. In addition, the American Heart Association and Nintendo will also jointly launch an online information center at www.activeplaynow.com, where visitors can read about the benefits of physically active play, conduct personal assessments and learn more about living a more physically active lifestyle.

The GMA story implied that the AHA is endorsing all Nintendo Wii games, including those that are sedentary. This is not accurate. The AHA and Nintendo logos, along with the statement defining our relationship, “Working together to promote physically active play as part of a healthy lifestyle”, will be on boxes for the Wii Fit™ Plus and Wii Sports Resort™ software and for the Wii™ system that plays them beginning this summer.

With Nintendo, AHA reaches an important new audience, those currently playing video games, with a message that encourages people to choose the more physically active versions of these games. This is important because so many Americans are completely sedentary. We need to meet people “where they are”.

GMA also compared the benefits of ‘real’ exercise to active video gaming exercise, citing a study that “even the most active gaming doesn’t compare to real life”. We agree that participating in an actual sport is usually more vigorous than active gaming. But active gaming compares very well with sitting on the couch. The fundamental issue here is that many Americans are not getting any physical activity -- 70% of Americans do not meet the levels of physical activity recommended in our guidelines and one factor is that in our society, people, both adults and kids, have replaced physical activity with time sitting in front of screens – so-called “screen time.”

So, while we first and foremost advise all Americans to meet the recommended levels of physical activity, we also recognize the importance of getting those who are totally inactive to start by doing something. Our message is one of incremental change: if you’re doing nothing, do something; if you’re doing something, do a bit more. This is the core of our goal to ‘improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% by the year 2020’.

We believe we must be bold to be successful, and we assure you that the American Heart Association refuses to sit on the sidelines, or stand around helplessly, watching as physical inactivity increases Americans’ risk of developing heart disease and stroke. Rather, we are going to ‘get in the game’ and get active to address this growing crisis.

GMA interviewed an epidemiologist with the CDC, who stated, “the amount of activity that one gains from these active gaming devices is inconclusive in terms of its benefits on health”. However, common sense says any time spent in physical activity is better than no time, and as people choose leisure time activities, it is important for us to encourage them to move from sedentary activities to those that get them moving. Actually, there is recent research that points out the substantial impact even of posture on the calories we burn during our non-exercise periods. Standing is better than sitting is better than lying down on the couch or in the recliner. This supports the idea that even small changes can be beneficial. We strongly support research that can establish conclusively the long-term benefits of physical activity, but the enormous numbers of people who are very sedentary can’t wait for that research, and we feel it would be inappropriate to wait the many years it will take for the final results of such research to be delivered. An innovation forum that will be supported by funds from the sponsorship, but developed with complete freedom by the AHA, will bring together investigators in the very areas of research critical to moving this field of prevention forward.

GMA reported, “we looked at their marketing documents, which say that carrying the label is proven to boost sales, (leading to) big money for the Heart Association and big money for the manufacturers.” However, the logo and materials that GMA were referring to were associated with our “Food Certification” program, which is, by design, revenue neutral. That means that the fees taken in go to cover the costs that it takes to run the program, as well as educate the public on nutrition and how to make healthier food choices. The Heart Check program, which consumers trust and understand, does charge food companies who believe they have products that meet our nutritional and marketing criteria a service charge to participate in our program. The service charge covers the costs for staff to compare products against the criteria, for the laboratory analysis of products, and to educate the consumer about the program. We determined when we developed the Heart Check program that we wanted to keep this program separate from our donor dollars. The donations from volunteers and supporters that the AHA receives covers research and our professional and public education efforts.

As for the money Nintendo contributed to the American Heart Association, the majority of the $1.5 million funds our prevention platform, aimed at educating Americans about heart disease and stroke prevention. A portion of the money funds Nintendo’s presence at our local Start! Heart Walk events across the country. Additionally, Nintendo is contributing $350,000 for a multidisciplinary forum of representatives from areas such as health care, research, physical activity, fitness and video gaming. The goal will be to bring together thought leaders, each with a unique perspective, to take a closer look at the synergies and potential benefits of active-play video games and physically active lifestyles, as well as to suggest urgent areas for research in the future.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Active Play Now. Will Nintendo & AHA embrace all forms of ExerGaming or Just Wii?

The new partnership (Active Play Now) created by the American Heart Association (AHA) endorsing the entire Wii console and games was a huge announcement this morning and exergaming is definitely gaining some much needed press.  However, is there a risk in having the AHA endorse only ONE of the many options when it comes to exergaming?

Please weigh in by taking this poll and the results will be on display at the Games For Health Conference in Boston, MA as part of the Games Beyond Entertainment Week event.






For all your exergaming needs and information, be sure to visit the unbiased source for all things related to ExerGaming and Active Gaming at The Exergame Network (TEN) and of course here on the ExerGame Lab blog.

Be sure to watch for updates and coverage coming from the 2010 Games for Health Conference - May 25-27th from Boston.

Our biggest and most advance event ever promises to provide great insight to the growing worlds of exergaming/active games, health training games, disease management efforts, and much much more.

Our conference platform provides attendees with great content, important networking opportunities, and a focus on providing opportunities to develop new projects and improve existing efforts.   In 2010 we are adding more defined and community led tracks and concentrating on greatly improving exhibits and non-session oriented content and activity.

Our full schedule will be available later in 2010 but you can see the planned schedule outline now here.

Is Wii Worthy of American Heart Association Accolade? A response to ABC's report

Is Wii Worthy of American Heart Association Accolade?

Dr. Richard Besser Questions American Heart Association Chief About Heart-Healthy Stamp on Video Games.



Here is my post on the ABC News piece on Nintendo getting the American Heart Association (AHA) to endorse the Wii to the tune of $1.5 million, and I doubt that does not include the advertising, marketing, and printing costs involved for the US and Canadian markets. Any ad people know what this might cost across the lifespan of the product cycles? A poor estimate would be several times more than the $1.5 million given to the AHA. The partnership has cumulated in the Active Play Now website.





Nintendo does not shy away from funding and/or endorsing research projects and this current endorsement is really interesting and creates another ethical dilemma. Having used and researched these exergames for almost a decade, I do think they can be used effectively to increase physical activity levels and promote positive social interactions; but, I also know that they are not a "magic pill" to better health. I think this story would be a completely different if in fact no money was exchanged. It brings up an interesting debate on whether all of these "endorsements" should have a "disclaimer" or "full disclosure" so that the public really knows what's occurring behind the scenes. If bloggers and celebrity endorsements (and these two categories couldn't be further apart) are liable for not disclosing relationships - then so should these commercial endorsements. Without Dr. Besser's pushing at least twice for the amount of money Nintendo gave to the AHA.....we might never have known. Thanks Dr. B and ABC.

For all your exergaming needs and information, be sure to visit the unbiased source for all things related to ExerGaming and Active Gaming at The Exergame Network (TEN) and of course here on the ExerGame Lab blog.

Be sure to watch for updates and coverage coming from the 2010 Games for Health Conference - May 25-27th from Boston.


Our biggest and most advance event ever promises to provide great insight to the growing worlds of exergaming/active games, health training games, disease management efforts, and much much more.

Our conference platform provides attendees with great content, important networking opportunities, and a focus on providing opportunities to develop new projects and improve existing efforts.   In 2010 we are adding more defined and community led tracks and concentrating on greatly improving exhibits and non-session oriented content and activity.

Our full schedule will be available later in 2010 but you can see the planned schedule outline now here.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Games for Health & Games Beyond Entertainment Week 2010 (#GFH2010)


Preparing for Games for Health 2010 on 12seconds.tv



Just recorded a 12 Seconds clip and posted it to Twitter about the Games for Health Conference in Boston, which will be part of the Games Beyond Entertainment Week and encompass Serious Games Festival & Conference, Out & About : The Mobile Serious Games Conference, 3rd Annual Games Accessibility Day, 3rd Annual Virtual Worlds & Health Day, Emerging Markets in Videogames Symposium, Serious Games Design & Development Bootcamp, and iPhone Design & Production Bootcamp. This is probably the biggest and most developed set of symposiums and bootcamps regarding Serious Games and Games For Health ever and we are all getting psyched for the many presentations, but more importantly the chance to meet up with colleagues and network like crazy!




In less than a week, we will putting the wraps on the biggest and best Games for Health Conference in  Boston, MA. With 6 different tracks including ExerGaming/Active Gaming, Games for Sensorimotor Rehab, Cognitive & Emotional Health and more, there will be plenty to see and do. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@syangman) and this blog for more exciting details of the G4H 2010 and be sure to use the hashtag #GFH2010. Check out some highlights from last year’s conference and many of the great speakers we had lined up. 

This year’s line-up is massive especially with Dr. Richard Marks giving the Keynote on Opening Day. His talk called “The Mind-Body Experience of Sony Move: Relationships between Gaming, Play, Exercise, and More!” will explore the many hurdles Sony's developers faced trying to follow-up on the success of EyeToy and adding new peripherals for improved game-play.

Get pumped for the GFH 2010 & Games Beyond Entertainment Week May 24-27, 2010 in Boston.


Here are some photos from last year's incredible conference.

The Games for Health Project - Sixth Annual Games for Health Conference
Our biggest and most advance event ever promises to provide great insight to the growing worlds of exergaming/active games, health training games, disease management efforts, and much much more.  
Our conference platform provides attendees with great content, important networking opportunities, and a focus on providing opportunities to develop new projects and improve existing efforts.   In 2010 we are adding more defined and community led tracks and concentrating on greatly improving exhibits and non-session oriented content and activity.  
Our full schedule will be available later in 2010 but you can see the planned schedule outline now here

ExerGames (iDANCE, BrainBike) on Fox 45 Baltimore Morning Show for BMore Healthy Expo

Fox 45 in Baltimore was nice enough to invite Exergame Fitness to be an exhibitor at the BMore Healthy Expo on May 1st, 2010 at the Baltimore Convention Center and the Fox 45 Morning Show.  Exergame Fitness was kind enough to invite me to to speak at both events and we had a blast with everyone.  Thanks Tommy, Seilheimer, Ed Kassanders, Parker Johnson,  Megan Gilliland, Jennifer Haigle and the Fox 45 Morning Crew! We had a blast on the morning show and at the BMore Healthy Expo was a huge success. Megan led by example and soon had the whole crew trying out iDANCE and BrainBike! Congratulations to all at FOX 45!






Thursday, May 6, 2010

Games For Health 2010 Psych-Up and Sock-Hop

DSC00360 In less than 3 weeks we will putting the wraps on the biggest and best Games for Health Conference in Boston, MA. With 6 different tracks including ExerGaming/Active Gaming, Games for Sensorimotor Rehab, Cognitive & Emotional Health and more, there will be plenty to see and do. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@syangman) and this blog for more exciting details of the G4H 2010 and be sure to use the hastag #GFH2010. Check out some highlights from last year’s conference and many of the great speakers we had lined up. 

This year’s line-up is massive especially with Dr. Richard Marks giving the Keynote on Opening Day. His talk called “The Mind-Body Experience of Sony Move: Relationships between Gaming, Play, Exercise, and More!” will explore the many hurdles Sony's developers faced trying to follow-up on the success of EyeToy and adding new peripherals for improved game-play.
Get pumped for the G4H10 & Games Beyond Entertainment Week May 24-27, 2010 in Boston.

Apple Wants Your Heart(beat)

Forget step counts using the accelerometer, the iPhone is about to become much more of a medical device if Apple gets the FDA & FCC's to approve its external heart-rate (HR) monitoring peripherals to feed into the iPhone. Although another device has already been cleared to accept HR via the Raisin Health Monitor, according to the USPTO application the device will be able to identify HR, the individual user, and even mood. Skip the mood ring, bring on the iPohone! 




Using the detected signals, the electronic device can identify or authenticate the user and perform an operation based on the identity of the user. In some embodiments, the electronic device can determine the user's mood from the cardiac signals and provide data related to the user's mood.
[Via  USPTO via UnwiredView via AppleInsiderMore »







Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Toddler TV linked to low math scores: study

[Via CBC Toddler TV linked to low math scores: study]


Too much time in front of the tube as a two-year-old can predict some negative consequences at the age of 10, a new study suggests.
Researchers studied more than 1,300 children in Quebec and found that higher TV exposure as toddlers corresponded to less achievement in math, an increase in being victimized by classmates and less physical activity at age 10.
The children also had a higher likelihood of consuming more junk food and soft drinks and of having a higher body mass index, according to the study published Monday in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/05/04/tech-television-children.html?ref=rss#ixzz0myQDRJed

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