As per the recent trends of the gaming industry, gaming and fitness have the potential to be combined into fitness games or “exergames”. Games such as Just Dance and Pokémon GO have introduced the world to the concept of promoting physical activity through gaming.
Gaming peripherals, such as the PlayStation Move motion controller and the Oculus Rift VR headset, have led to the rise of gamified fitness applications, intermingling physical activities and gaming.
Other than exergames, iGaming or online card games such as poker, blackjack or rummy, can affect mental fitness. The aspects of these games involving reading opponents’ tells and making quick decisions can help sharpen your mental fortitude.
This blog looks into how gaming and fitness have been successfully intertwined.
The Science behind the team-up of Fitness and Gaming
The interconnection between gaming and fitness was built on scientific aspects.
The Role of Rewards and Challenges in Encouraging Fitness in Exergames
Fitness games take game mechanics and apply them to make gamers participate in physical activities. Exergames make maintaining fitness an engaging and enjoyable activity, by incorporating motivating factors such as challenges, competition and rewards.
These actions add intrinsic motivation to gamers, who find overcoming these challenges the main draw of playing video games. Furthermore, the rewards from performing a physical activity also draw the motivation of gamers towards fitness.
Elo boost often referred to simply as “boosting,” is a practice commonly seen in competitive online games where a higher-skilled player logs into another player’s account to increase their rank or rating.
The Psychology of Competition and Achievement in Exergames
Competitive fitness games can have a positive impact on motivation. In a competitive multiplayer game, the main source of achievement is to outscore your opponent.
Therefore, if this motivation is placed on a fitness game, you would attempt to perform a physical activity better than your opponent to win. This is how exergames or fitness games use competition and achievement to promote working out.
The usual motivations of out-achieving your opponent to win in a multiplayer game can improve cognitive skills, such as attention and problem-solving, driving mental fitness as well.
If you want to play rummy against an online opponent, the objective is to empty out the set of cards in your hand first. Thus, capably utilizing your cognitive abilities to outplay your opponent can be a driving force for enhancing mental fitness.
Case Studies of Successful Physical and Mental Fitness Impacts of Games
Nintendo Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolution’s success has long acted as case studies for the potential of games to induce fitness among participants. Studies have suggested that playing a game such as Nintendo Wii Fit has helped the elderly successfully practice stability and posture control.
On the other side of this coin, the 2022 global gaming phenomenon, Elden Ring, has shown how perseverance to overcome challenges can improve the mental fortitude of gamers. This practice can similarly impact a player through online card games.
The moment you download a rummy app on your phone, you might struggle to come to terms with the rules, especially against veteran players of the game. Persevering through defeats and setbacks until the rules finally ‘click’ can work wonders for your mental fortitude and fitness.
Popular Fitness Gaming Technologies and Notable Games
In recent years, the improving gaming technologies have led to innovative forms of exergames flooding the market. Games like Nintendo Wii Fit or Just Dance, use motion controls to gather data from fitness activities at Home.
Meanwhile, VR Fitness games such as Beat Saber and Supernatural drive fitness through physical activities representing actions in a virtual reality space.
Alternatively, augmented reality games promote outdoor activities by making reality your open-world gaming experience. Pokémon GO, Monster Hunter Now, and Zombies, Run! are notable AR mobile games that promote fitness through outdoor exploration.
Also, online iGames, such as rummy and poker applications, can test players’ minds by engaging in strategic thinking and foster thinking on their feet under ranging stressful situations.
The Growing Connection between E-Sports and Fitness
E-Sports competitors participate in multiplayer games in which a reaction delay of a few fractions of a second can be the difference between victory and defeat. Thus, just because gaming in general does not involve any movements, it does not mean that fitness is not important to hone your skills in particular games.
Slow reaction times can lead to delayed decision-making, which, for example, when you play rummy, can harm your chances of anticipating your opponent’s next meld. Thus, in any competitive online game, concentration and reaction time matter as well as in any competitive physical sport.
In summary, a healthy and fit lifestyle is critical to maintain for an E-sports athlete.
How E-sports athletes maintain fitness regimens to enhance their competitiveness
E-sports can be significantly demanding in terms of both mental and physical fitness, as the required quick reaction times and decision-making under stress need both your body and mind to be on high alert.
Many notable E-sports athletes are known to follow regular workout routines. These include participating in cardiovascular activities and maintaining balanced diets, all to optimize performance.
Studies have even shown that the physical strain that an E-sports athlete undergoes during a session can match that of racecar drivers. They were observed to be maintaining heart rates of about 160-180 beats per minute, equivalent to that of a sprinter.
The Role of endurance and reaction training in gaming
Endurance and reaction training are quickly becoming significant to the gaming landscape. Improving reaction times not only helps get better at games but also enhances overall cognitive capabilities.
The endurance to maintain concentration for long gaming sessions can also seep into the ability to perform under pressure and maintain decision-making capabilities. For example, when you download a rummy app, you prepare for long sessions of tense gameplay, requiring maintaining concentration for long periods of time, at a heightened level.
These positive features have led to exergames being employed to improve fitness in adolescents. Being exposed to the positive effects of gaming on mental and physical fitness in formative years can have long-term impacts.
With the growing awareness of the physical and mental benefits of gaming and the development of technology, video games that can measure and improve physical fitness are becoming the future of the joint concepts of gaming and fitness.
Conclusion
Exergaming has revolutionized the concept of fitness by promoting fitness activities and physical exercises through gaming, either using AR, VR or motion controls. Through intrinsic motivations and reward systems, gamifying fitness can be extremely effective in terms of maintaining positive health practices while also enjoying the activity of gaming.
Exergaming or fitness gaming can be the future of both fitness and gaming, as the interlinking of these two activities can be a creative solution by making fitness more accessible.