Do Fitness Video Games Actually Help People To Lose Weight?

It would seem that in recent years that the amount of videogames people are going out and buying is on the increase. This has been put down to many reasons and it would seem that the main one is that investing $60 dollars into a video game that consists of 20+ hours of game time without even thinking about online multiplayer is actually more value for money than going out for a meal and paying double this for a couple of hours.

With many more people both across the US and of course Europe seemingly putting more weight on, it would seem that this was the perfect time to merge video gaming with keeping fit and who better to do it than Nintendo?

Wii Fit was released in Europe on April 25th 2008 and has since gone on to be the second biggest selling videogame in history selling a massive 22.56 million copies.

Of course what you want to know is, does it actually work?

Well I was one of the sad people waiting outside the shop on the day that Wii Fit was due to come out as I had pre-ordered the game and couldn’t wait to play it. My entire family and my partner had chipped in to buy this piece of kit as we were intrigued to see if something like this would actually help with losing weight. Now, I am by no means a big person and many people moan at me for being too thin but nevertheless I thought I could try to knock a few pounds off using this new game.

After using it every single day for a few weeks I had noticed a slight difference in the way that I felt. It worked in a very similar way to normal exercise does but whereas normal exercise is very dull, Wii Fit keeps you interested because of the on-screen activities that are going on.

On top of this you have your very own personal trainer who can sense (using the board) if you are struggling and will give you the occasional words of encouragement. Believe it or not, using this method of exercise not only saved me money in the long run (I didn’t have to pay out for the gym) but it helped me to feel a lot more alive and I did in fact lose those few pounds of excess weight that I didn’t want.

The great thing about Wii Fit is that you can set a password on your account so that anyone else who uses it cannot see your weight and your stats, which turns out to be a big relief to those people who like to keep those things private. There are many activities that can be done through this game on the Wii and they include Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics and Balance Games. Each one of these categories has many different sub-categories within them.

The Future of Fitness on Consoles

Considering this game was deemed a huge success for Nintendo there is no wonder that they released a follow up a year later and with Microsoft’s controller free gaming coming to audiences this year I am almost certain Microsoft will be releasing something along these lines in the very near future.

All in all, if you haven’t had the chance to actually test this out I would highly recommend it, although it will not prove to be as effective as going to the gym on regular occasions it will help you to lose weight if you use it correctly and take it all seriously.

Ryan is a keen internet marketer who represents a model kits model kits company who specialize in RC helicoptersRC helicopters. He has always loved playing video games and when the opportunity came for a fitness game to be purchased he thought it was a great idea.