One of the health game products I’ve been watching very closely is Zamzee. Not a whole lot has been written about this innovative new company yet, especially when one compares it to previous HopeLab products like Re-Mission. However, they have really geared up for an impressive product, and it will be very interesting to see how well it does in clinical testing and in the market.

What is Zamzee.

Zamzee is an online rewards program for teens based on their recorded physical activity. Users wear a three-axis accelerometer specially calibrated to record short bursts of movement and vigorous activity. Increased movement increases website status which can then be converted into spendable Zamz, a virtual currency used to purchase virtual and tangible rewards.

Zamzee was established in 2010 with an initial investment of $1M from the HopeLab Foundation. The creators of Zamzee hope to make it into a profitable business with the added benefit of getting teens more physically active.

Market potential.

Although Zamzee has some characteristics that make it completely unique, some of its features do remind me of other products, many of which haven’t done so well in the market.

• ME2 Universe – online 3D virtual world which is unlocked by physical activity recorded through a handheld – no longer available
• Zyked – a mobile app which aims to make sports and exercising more fun through gameplay and community features – never made it out of alpha testing
• Pokewalker – pedometer that records steps which are converted to currency for Pokemon Nintendo DS titles – resulted in gamer articles about how to cheat the system to get free currency
• Samurai Pedometer – pedometer and calorie counter in which the more you walk, the further your virtual samurai gets to conquering Japan – popular with adults not children
• Glucoboy – unlock virtual rewards for blood glucose monitoring – picked up by Bayer and marketed as Didget
• GeoPalz – a pedometer for the wrist or shoelace that rewards kids with real and virtual prizes for steps walked – new version launched this year
• WeMuv – a pedometer that rewards physical activity steps with website access and school fundraising opportunities – successful in Canada
• Horsepower Challenge – Humana’s online game that links kid’s real-world activity with a virtual race around the planet – successful in schools

Positions still available.

I have to say that one benefit Zamzee has over probably many of these others is the strong team they’re building. Back in February, Zamzee announced that they finally established a solid executive team including Jonathan Attwood as CEO and Lance Henderson as COO.

However, not all of the available positions have been filled. This is excellent news for all of you job hunters out there as it is very rare for health game positions to be available. Take a look at their careers page to see if you might be a good fit for one of these openings. Good luck out there!

Earlier this week Microsoft announced the 17 games it plans to release with its newest gadget, the controller-free Kinetic gaming system.  Not surprisingly the list includes several fitness-based titles and popular ones known for getting your heart pumping.

• Kinetic Sports
• DanceMasters by Konami
• EA SPORTS Active 2
• Dance Central by MTV/Harmonix
• Motionsports by Ubisoft
• The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout by THQ
• Zamba Fitness by Majesco

The first round of games will be available on November 4, 2010 followed by a second round on November 16.

High fat market strategy.

In an ironic marketing twist, the New York Post reports that Microsoft has struck a deal with Burger King, Kellogg’s, and Pepsi to get images of the new Kinetic system on 60 million snack boxes and 400 million soda cans.  I guess it’s good that there are so many active titles to choose from…

If anyone purchases the system next month, let us know what you think of it.

One of the tracks during the conference was focused on health gaming which included contributions from pioneer Ben Sawyer, President of Digital Mill and Games for Health conference founder. Pixels and Pills — one of the leading blogs on the pharma industry and digital media, caught up with one of the speakers at the games for health track to get an idea on what exergaming is and how it can be helpful.

Elizabeth Lyons of UNC Chapel Hill explains where exergaming can be helpful in weight maintenance and prevention of weight gain but where it will be necessary to include other initiatives to truly bring about healthy behavior changes:

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Exergaming

There have been several product launches of exergames, mainly sports games, combining real exercise and a display screen. Melanie Lazarus has recently posted on healthGAMERS an exhaustive chronology of exergames.  Even though some of these games could be categorized as memorable flops to be taught in MBA marketing courses, all have two elements in common:

1. Putting the player “in the game” and
2. Taking a typical outdoor activity and bringing it indoors by requiring the player to connect with technology.

A scientific article published almost three years ago in the British Medical Journal pointed out that the energy used when playing active Wii Sports games is not of high enough intensity to contribute towards the recommended daily amount of exercise in children. It is therefore interesting to solve this equation of videogaming and exercise and to figure out how kids can burn calories without playing only exergames.

Physical Activity Monitoring

It is possible to imagine that a player or his parents could report on the computer real exercise performed in real life. Such monitoring can then be coupled to a lock/unlock game function which takes into account the amount of calories spent. You can then convert these spent calories in game time, next level access, bonuses and extra points.  In fact, this already exists.  For example, HopeLab has created Zamzee that should be available in 2011,  an online rewards system powered by physical activity recorded through an activity meter.

It is also possible to imagine that games could be used as a reward for physical activity in the real world. Imagine a fat Mario with limited power which can be improved by the amount of burnt calories of the player. The access and the use of video games is therefore controlled by the level of recorded physical activity. Again, as for example, iToys, a major Canadian toy industry actor, has created Me2, a hand-held activity meter device which is already sold on Amazon. When plugged into a computer, the device transfers the activity recorded into a 3D game that powers the gamer’s avatar.

Human-Generated Energy

In order to include players who never play sports games, some ingenuous systems have been conceived including the pedal-powered laptop developed by the MIT students. The player has to generate sufficient energy to charge the computer or to keep it turned on.

Indeed, Motion Fitness, an Illinois based company, already sells a similar system, “Brain Bike,” which was developed by a team of neuropsychologists and medical specialists. It relies on the Neuroactive® brain-fitness program that improves cognition while pedaling. The computer is connected to a module called Gamercize which interacts with the BrainBike by activating the mouse when pedaling then stopping the mouse when pedaling stops.

Furthermore, Humana Games, a subsidiary of HMO company Humana, has created the “Horsepower Challenge,” an online game that motivates physical activity in school-aged children. Each student wears a pedometer on his or her shoe which stores data and wirelessly uploads it to a website. When an individual accesses the site, the player is represented by a horse avatar. Steps can then be collected for an entire school. The students’ steps power a virtual school bus on a race around the world, which pauses for brief history lessons on historic landmarks along the way.

Alternate Reality Gaming

Augmented reality technologies bring a whole new way of gaming. It offers the possibility to play and interact with the outdoor environment in real-time.  For example, Hidden Park, available on the App Store, is a GPS adventure game for the iPhone. The game is played while visiting parks all around the world and uses alternate reality and geo-caching to create a fantasy world with digital photographs taken by the player. By the end of the day, the player has an album of their adventures, and they can compete or share their experience with others in the gaming community.

As a projection in the very near future, HP has created “Roku’s Reward” a demo game for their Tablet PC. HP says that they are not currently developing the game, however, the technology seems to be mature enough to consider the development of such a game in the near future.

Conclusions

I believe we are at the very beginning of understanding how these new technologies could be used in the most efficient way to help kids spend their extra calories because trying to prevent them of playing video games is already a lost battle. With the development of Human Generated Power and augmented reality technologies, there will be a huge body of possibilities to create new and highly interactive videogames that might help reduce obesity in children and increase physical activity.

Based on this conclusion, exergame designers began to market products as solutions to the Western problem of child obesity, taking advantage of the obesity culprit to make exercise a requirement for gaming enjoyment. In a study conducted by Jeff Sinclair and his associates, the relative success and failure of exergame design within the realm of child obesity is analyzed in order to inform future design efforts.

Factors Determining Success and Consumer Attraction

Based on a review of exergaming research, Sinclair worked to isolate the factors that make exergames effective in adhering to aerobic exercise recommendations and in catching and holding consumer attention.

1. In terms of exercise, games should follow basic aerobic session requirements: a warm-up period of 5-10 minutes of low-intensity exercise, a stimulus period of at least 20 minutes at 77%-90% of the maximal heart rate, and a cool-down period of 5 minutes.
2. Sinclair also notes that this should be repeated three days per week in order to successfully emulate an exercise program. One difficult implication of these parameters is that individuals have different levels of fitness, so maximal heart rate varies from one person to the next.
3. Exergames must also hold players’ attention for at least 30 minutes at a time while motivating them to play at least 3 times a week.

These three exergame requirements determine success in terms of effectiveness and attractiveness.

Consumer Attraction and the Gameflow Model

In 2005, research conducted by Sweetser and Wyeth applied the “flow” construct, or nine components determining total engagement in an activity, to video gaming. They found that, in order for players to be totally engaged in video games, they had to experience the following:

• Required and enabled concentration,
• Challenges that are neither too easy nor too difficult,
• Development of individual skills and mastery,
• A sense of control over personal actions within the game,
• Clear goals for succeeding at the game,
• Reception of specific feedback on individual success,
• Effortless immersion within the game, to the exclusion of time awareness, and
• Social interaction opportunities.

The above components determine a typical video game’s attractiveness to consumers and apply to exergames as well.

To maximize the success of an exergame, attractiveness and effectiveness should bridge the gap between the psychological gameplay and physiological exercise components of exergaming. Achieving a balance between skill and challenge, as well as between fitness and intensity, determines the success of an exergame. The difficulty of creating these two perfect balances can help explain the wide variety of successful and unsuccessful exergames in today’s market.

About the author.

Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She often can be found blogging about education and scholarships for college. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

“When I was in Best Buy the other day and saw the huge EA Sports Active displays it felt like we’d hit saturation but until we have Richard Simmons Wii Workout I don’t think we’ve reached it. Famous last words, right?”

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Think it began with DDR?  Think again!

• 1982 – Amiga releases the Joyboard, a stand-on peripheral for a skiing game (total flop)
• 1982 – Atari conceptualizes the Puffer project, an exercise-controlled bike for the 400/800 or 5200 systems (abandoned and never released)
• 1986 – RacerMate releases CompuTrainer for the NES, a training aid and motivational tool where users pedal along roads (very expensive)
• 1988 – Namco releases Family Trainer Power Pad for the NES, a floor mat game controller complete with giant buttons
• 1989 – Mattel and Nintendo release Power Glove for the NES, a robotic glove peripheral controller (users found to be relatively inoperable)
• 1989 – Namco releases Dance Aerobics, an aerobics video game for the Power Pad and NES
• 1992 – CyberGear Inc releases Tectrix VR Bike and Climber, a software driven interactive bike and stair stepper (difficult to maintain and master)
• 1995 – Nintendo and Life Fitness release Extertainment System, an exercise bike with corresponding on-screen games ($3,500 price tag)
• 1996 – Namco releases Prop Cycle, an exercise bike game
• 1998 – Konami releases Dance Dance Revolution (and the era of exergaming truly begins)
• 2001 – UK company Exertris unties with Microsoft to release Exertris Interactive Exercise Bike, an interactive gaming workout cycle for Windows CE and XP
• 2003 – Cat Eye Fitness releases GameBike, a racing bike for PlayStation 1 and 2
• 2004 – Respondesign releases Yourself! Fitness, a virtual trainer for PlayStation 2 and XBox
• 2005 – Bodypad is released, a suite of controllers for knees, waist, elbows and hands for PlayStation
• 2007 – Gamercise releases power stepper and pedal peripherals, a power supply system that requires footwork from the player to power consoles
• 2007 – Fischer-Price releases Smart Cycle, a miniaturized stationary cycle arcade system for children ages 3 to 6
• 2008 – Nintendo releases Wii Fit, a personalized training board for the Wii
• 2009 – Electronic Arts releases EA Sports Active, an advanced workout peripheral for the Wii
• 2010 – Sony releases Move, a motion controller for the PS3 (coming to U.S. in September)
• 2010 – Microsoft releases Kinect, a motion gaming system for the Xbox 360 (coming to U.S. in November)

That’s almost thirty years of good old fashioned exergaming history.  If some of the more retro products caught your eye, check out this great article from the folks at Boing Boing on the last 25 years of exergaming.  It’s a great one, complete with pictures and detailed descriptions.

HardCORE Swimming is an Exertion Game prototype that combines the use of a Wii Fit balance board, Wii controller and nunchuk to swim through a shark-infested sea while collecting treasure.  In our last healthGAMERS interview we talked Floyd Mueller, an instructor at the University of Melbourne, Australia, who is teaching students the art of computer game design through Exertion Games: games that not only require exercise input but also rely on exercise for game outcomes. Today we talk with one of these innovative student teams.  Kane, Alex, Amber, Dean and Christian have created an exertion game they call HardCORE Swimming, a game that their instructor feels is ready to pitch to Nintendo today.

The interview.

HG: HardCORE Swimming seems to utilize several Wii peripherals.  Can you describe the general gameplay for us?

HCS: The gameplay of HardCORE basically involves the player or players lying on their stomachs in the middle of the Wii balance board and holding the Wii mote and nunchuk in their hands. They lie in the a superman-like pose with their arms outstretched. Basically the player is constantly falling and the only way to stay up is by shaking the Wii mote and nunchuk.

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HG: What makes HardCORE Swimming entertaining?

HCS: At intermittent times a flashing message will appear on the screen saying ‘SHARK INCOMING – LEAN!!!” and a second or so later a shark will rush past the screen. If the player leans to the left on the balance board (basically balancing on their side) then their character will lean and dodge the shark. If they don’t lean to the side they will get eaten. There’s also treasure spawning randomly at the right side of the screen that can be collected to add points to their score.

HG: The ultimate purpose of Exertion Games is to get a great workout while still having fun.  What muscle groups should a player expect to work while playing HardCORE Swimming?

HCS: This game is particularly great for people who want to do abdominal exercises whilst still having fun. Your body’s core is one of the most important things to build when being involved with any physical exercise. In our game, the player is in an existing exercise position called the superman which is designed to work the core. By lying down in a superman pose waggling the remotes out the front and leaning to the side, the player gets quite an abdominal work out.

HG: Is gameplay designed for one player or two?

HCS: There is multi-player mode where two players vie for treasure to stay alive. Two player mode has a slight limitation because each player must haves their own Wii Fit board.  We wanted to figure out a way to make the game more economical and utilize only one balance board, but we need to keep designing.

HG: How did you come up with the concept for HardCORE swimming?  Was there any particular inspiration?

HCS: The concept of HardCORE swimming was originally formed when we were searching for a game idea and one of our team members who is competitive swimmer suggested incorporating something to do with swimming.  The central idea was to get the players to engage in what is actually a very strenuous core body exercise but to distract them using a simple game they could focus on.  Thus hardCORE swimming was created! However, I must stress that we ploughed through many, many ideas before finally settling on this one and as a result we had to rush on the final technical implementation – but it still worked!

HG: Who do you see enjoying this game? Does it appeal to a specific age group?

HCS: HardCORE swimming is a game that is suitable for all ages and gamer skills. It is fun for children whilst teaching them good skills for a balanced lifestyle. It is good for swimming professionals to take time out from real training and enjoy simulated training whilst still having fun.

HG: Studies show that many exergames like Wii Fit are played for two weeks and then never played again. What about your game gives it replayability?

HCS: Our game’s constant replayablility is drawn from the way that it is based on a core exercise. Many people involved in sport or just general fitness already do the superman core exercise, and we have made it more enjoyable to do. The idea that you can beat your existing score or compete against a different opponent also adds to the interest of playing the game over and over.

HG: Your teacher, Mr. Mueller said that he believes this prototype game in particular is ready to market to Nintendo.  What makes your game special compared to other class prototypes?

HCS: We think HardCORE Swimming would appeal to Nintendo because it is a fun game for all people of all ages. It is marketable because it is a simple concept to understand, and the easy interface makes it basically unnecessary for the use of complex instructions. It would be a very suitable game for the Wii console.

Closing remarks.

I think this game has a lot of potential both from an entertainment and physical activity perspective.  I haven’t seen a Wii game that utilizes the core muscle groups, specifically the abs, yet. Perhaps we will see this game or one like it on the market soon.  Congratulations to the HardCORE Swimming team, and best of luck with their prototype!  To see more amazing Exertion Game prototypes from RMIT, Australia, visit their Lecture 2130 website.

I first found out about Floyd Mueller and his creative “Lecture 2130” at the University of Melbourne, Australia from the Games For Health listserve.   Mr. Mueller is doing some pretty amazing stuff with his computer game design students using Exertion Games.  Here’s my fascinating interview with this innovative instructor and how his students are taking exergaming to the next level.

The interview.

HG: For those unfamiliar, define “Exertion Game”?  How is this different from an exergame?

FM: For my work, I use “Exertion Game” because I want to highlight that in my games the exercise affects the game outcome. For example, running on a treadmill while playing Xbox is not an Exertion Game for me. I also use Exertion Game to highlight the game aspect, for example, interactive yoga exercises such as some done with the Wii Balance Board, they are not games. By highlighting these aspects, I hopefully will be able to show designers that there is still a vast amount of potential we have not explored yet!

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HG: Tell us more about your class at RMIT.  How and why did you start teaching physical games “Lecture 2130″?

FM: This is a first year class for aspiring new computer game designers. Through an extensive selection process only the best students with the most potential will be selected, as competition is fierce.  I have been researching “Exertion Interfaces” for almost 10 years now across Europe, the USA and Australia, being interested in designing better technology for the body. This class teaches the important role that physical concepts have in computer games. It evolved from looking at the underlying principles in 3D worlds, as seen particularly in FPS, to the emerging trend of physical games that challenge our understanding of the player’s body. This becomes important when designing for new platforms such as the iPhone, Nike+ and the Nintendo Wii. With this trend from being ‘physical’ in the virtual world to being ‘physical’ in the real world, we realized that there was an opportunity to make a difference to the future careers of young game designers, but also to the future of gamers, as these games can address the obesity issue.

HG: What makes exertion games appealing to students?

FM: Maybe it is a realization that games that go beyond the gamepad experience can be more social, more emotional and healthier. These games will be huge, and change the lives of millions, and students see the market and potential to be creative in an otherwise very competitive market.

HG: I see from your blog that students in your class have to create their own Exertion Games as part of their large final project.  How much did it cost students to create their game?  How long?

FM: The students had 6 weeks from their first class at university, which included forming a group of 5 students, to a Madness session where they had 1 minute to present their idea to 80 other students to get rapid-fire feedback to implementation to demo’ing in week 6, including showcasing the game on their website. They each invested 20 Australian dollars (ca. $US 18), so they had $AU 100 together as a team. Currently, they are preparing for the next demo round to do it all over again with even more exciting games!

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HG: Can you see these games being used in the “real world” such as those made for The Fun Theory?  For example, the Escalatek game could utilize a mall or office building.  How could the game be modified or implemented to benefit the public?

FM: We actually talked about the Fun Theory (it is not actually a theory though) on the blog, and a lot of our games fall into this category. The Escalatek team already has some ideas on this, and I let them (and the others) talk about how they ‘blur the magic circle of play’ (some of the topics discussed in class) in order to benefit the public.

HG: Was there one project in particular (2009 or 2010) you thought had commercial potential?  Why?

FM: I thought the Hardcore Swimming game could be sold for Nintendo tomorrow, so could the Hot Head Balloon game.  The JunkFooders’ Game was loved by everyone because it required so much exertion and could be installed in schools. And another game uses existing Foursquare technology on an iPhone but turns it into a game.

Closing remarks.

There are many, many other creative ideas on the class’s blog.  Each team has a webpage (accessible from the left menu on the class’s blog) where they document their ideas and progress.  Be on the lookout for more ideas from this innovative class, and stay tuned for part 2 of this interview series where we go behind the scenes with one of these amazing student teams.

Basics of the contest [from the page]:

The Wii Mommies are looking for individuals who are unfamiliar with the Nintendo Wii and the Wii Fit Plus to participate in our Citizen Journalist Program to analyze specific elements of the Wii Fit Plus and submit weekly reports on their findings over a period of three weeks. You do not have to be a parent or female to apply, all are welcome.

Here at healthGAMERS, we’re super excited to see the results of the program and the feedback that the various citizen journalists come up with in their reports. The purpose of this health games movement is to make sure people get real experiences and this is a perfect way to get that done. The more people who realize that there are healthy and fun activities out there, the more we can continue spreading the word.

Applications close on March 5th so head on over there and apply if you’re interested! Also don’t forget to follow Wii Mommies on Twitter.

Introducing full-sized bike to Wii.

Cyberbike is a full-sized stationary “home- bike” complete with back pedaling and brake capabilities. I was unable to find any specs on the peripheral’s weight and height, but as you can see from the official Cyberbike Trailer, it’s a pretty large accessory. [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.] Unlike many BigBen Interactive products, the Cyberbike also comes with a Wii game title of the same name.  The Cyberbike game includes 18 tracks, personalized vehicles and characters, 3 game modes and varying levels of difficulty.  I found the story mode plot line a little unexpected.  Here is a little summary of what to expect:

Drive, along with your family, the most improbable vehicles from planet Cyclo. Use your body and mind, as an eco-citizen, to finally rid this world of the many sources of pollution that are literally suffocating it. Collect the elements that are polluting planet Cyclo either on the ground, in the air or under water, using the vehicles provided for this purpose.

Bikes not your thing?

If Cyberbike doesn’t suit your fancy, why not try Wii Fit look-alike My Body Coach with two 500g dumbells (that’s 1.1 lbs) for your Wiimotes.  Already have a Wii Fit?  You can also purchase BigBen Interactive’s famous Wii Fit Fitness Premium Pack which comes with a storage case, silicon cover and built-in battery compartment for your Wii Balance Board, floor mat, belt with a pocket for Wiimote, two wrist hands and a pedometer.  What else could you ask for?