Akademik

n.

An activity that combines exercise with video game play. —adj. Also: exer-gaming.

—exergame n.

—exergamer n.

The origins of exergaming can be traced back to 1989, when Nintendo released two accessories for its Nintendo Entertainment System. The Power Pad was a large plastic platform that plugged into the console and contained 12 pressure sensors on which gamers could step or jump to play sports games such as "World Class Track Meet". The Power Glove was a glove-like controller that translated various gestures into on-screen movements. ...

A study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, published in the journal Pediatrics in December, found that exergaming more than doubled players' energy expenditure compared with sedentary gaming, and suggested that it "might be considered for obesity prevention and treatment".

—"Let's get physical," The Economist, March 10, 2007

Alsac and Johnson recently completed graduate school at Arizona State University, focusing their research on "exergaming" and its effect on heart rate. Using Dance Dance Revolution, known to gamers as DDR, and another activity-based game called EyeToy: Kinetic, the two tested people of varying ages to judge cardiovascular affect on players.

They found the activity-based Web games met the American College of Sports Medicine's minimum requirements of achieving health-related benefits at the lowest levels. ...

The exergaming trend took a dramatic leap forward in August when Dr. Ernie Medina opened XRtainment Zone in Redlands, Calif. The 8,000-square-foot facility combines fitness and video game technology by offering customers dozens of exergaming choices, including DDR and EyeToy.

—Ty Young, "Video games boldly step into high-tech fitness arena," Phoenix Business Journal, January 15, 2007

In a bid to unite jocks with nerds in a way never seen before, Toronto-based Nexfit has introduced Canada's first exer-gaming bike. ...

At its most basic, the product is an exercise bike that hooks up to a personal computer. The bike serves as a giant joystick. You use the handlebars as the controller, and above the right hand grip are the traditional joystick controls with a trigger button. For racing games, the pedals of the bike serve as the accelerator. There are also "force feedback" simulators so the rumble effect you get on a console's controller is emulated by the entire bike.

—Raju Nudhar, "In hot pursuit of the Holodeck," The Toronto Star, April 20, 2004