Break a sweat exer-gaming

Videogames can take you into another reality where you can be anything you want; a racecar driver, a spy, a guitar hero and now even physically fit. Or at least that is the aim for some new videogames. It is being called "exer-gaming," a term that means the videogame not only has a gaming element but also provides exercise. One very popular exer-game is the Wii Fit. It is an exercise game where players use a balancing board to do exercises on and control movements of their on-screen self. The game has four categories including strength training, yoga, aerobics and balancing. The Wii Fit also keeps track of a player's daily progress and body mass index. Although the Wii Fit was released in May 2008, it is still hard to find. Josh Barton, an employee at the Clinton Game Stop said their store has sold out of them. "We had quite a few in, but they sold out way quick," Barton said. The Wii Fit may be one of the more popular exercise games, but there are plenty more that have and will hit the shelves. Some of the newer games for the Wii include My Fitness Coach and Jillian Michael's Fitness Ultimatum 2009. Both games are designed to give players a workout routine customized to them. But Wii isn't the only or the first to come up with the concept of exer-gaming. One of the earlier exer-games was Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). DDR is played on a dance pad with up, down, left and right arrows. The player has to step on the arrow that corresponds with the arrow on the screen to the rhythm of a song. Complimenting the game mode, DDR has a specific mode just for exercising. Tyson Skeen, a Weber State University freshman, said he has used DDR's workout mode before. "It shows you how many calories you've burned and how much exercise you are getting compared to swimming and to running," Skeen said. Both the Wii Fit and DDR are supposed to be a fun and beneficial way to workout. However, some like Skeen might not agree it is the best way to workout. "I think getting out and running is going to be majorly more beneficial than the Wii Fit or even Dance Dance Revolution ever is," he said. Skeen also said that in his experience, while the workout mode made him break a sweat, it never made him have to breathe hard. Barton said that he thought, in a way, the games were beneficial as a way to have fun and exercise at the same time. He also said that if you're into exercise hardcore, then it probably wouldn't be beneficial. WSU sophomore Danae Blain said that she has played DDR before, but more for entertainment than exercise. "I don't know that [DDR] is used that way a lot," Blain said. "I think it's more for entertainment, but I think it could be beneficial."