Publish at December 15 2019 Updated May 25 2023
Video games and fitness are always pitted against each other. After all, the former only requires you to sit down with a controller in hand; exercise, on the other hand, requires more effort. Yet we'd be surprised to find that many professional athletes love gaming, and use it as much to entertain themselves as to learn more about their sport. Indeed, these footballers have recounted using soccer games to find out more about the team they were going to be on, or about their opponents.
The video game world has also taken an interest in physical activity. In 2007, to everyone's surprise, Nintendo released its WiiFit, with a board that would allow users to perform exercises. It was a huge success, selling over 22 million units worldwide.
12 years later, with another console, the Nipponese company took up the idea again, this time offering a flexible ring supplied with a leg sensor. The concept being to put players in a real adventure where heroic deeds and battles are done through exercise. And looking at this player and a coach watching him play, it seems the new solution is even more demanding and effective.
Or, if there's an app that's changing fitness at home, it's Zwift. Indeed, the software is designed for those with a stationary bike at home... some tens of millions of people!
We know it's not easy to motivate yourself to pedal indoors. Yet Zwift offers users a real immersion in a virtual race. The user places a sensor or uses a more modern bicycle (called turbos trainers). Once this is done, the app will offer different routes based on real paths. So the user pedals along, trying to do the best he can. He'll come across avatars on his route and be able to see how he ranked in periods of sprinting or climbing. The idea is to create a sense of competition and motivate people to improve their results.
In fact, this solution, which appeared in 2014, is experiencing a gradual rise in interest: over 500,000 users are now said to have signed up. What's more, eRacing tournaments (virtual cycling races) have sprung up thanks to Zwift, and training groups are using it for friendly events.
The downside is the price. A 7-day trial period is offered, but after that you'll have to fork out around $15 every month, not to mention the equipment needed to make it work. Fortunately, there are also alternatives, including some rare free ones, such as Golden Cheetah, which allows you to analyze outdoor and indoor training data at no cost.
Sports and video games are therefore no longer a dream alliance, but a current one. The gap opened by Zwift could possibly be applied to other sporting activities. And with the International Olympic Committee's growing interest in electronic gaming, an approach such as eRacing could become part of the Games program in the not-too-distant future...
References
Baldacchino, Julien. "On a Testé "Ring Fit Adventure", Le Nouveau Jeu Vidéo Sur Nintendo Switch Qui Vous Fait Bouger." France Inter. Last updated: October 11, 2019. h
ttps://www.franceinter.fr/on-a-teste-pour-vous-ring-fit-adventure-le-nouveau-jeu-video-sur-nintendo-switch-qui-vous-fait-bouger
Boily, André. "Faites De Vos Entraînements Un Jeu Vidéo, Voire Une Compétition Multijoueur!" Le Journal De Québec. Last updated February 1, 2019.
https://www.journaldequebec.com/faites-de-vos-entrainements-un-jeu-video-voire-une-competition-multijoueur
Delaney, Ben, and Simon Bromley. "Zwift: Your Complete Guide." BikeRadar. Last updated on December 2, 2019.
https://www.bikeradar.com/features/zwift-your-complete-guide/
Heil, Nick. "Zwift Changed Everything About Indoor Training. How Big Can It Get?" Outside Online. Last updated on July 24, 2019.
https://www.outsideonline.com/2393635/zwift-virtual-training#close
Robertshaw, Henry. "Zwift: Everything You Need to Know." Cycling Weekly. Last updated: August 20, 2019.
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/zwift-turbo-trainer-game-171798
Totilo, Stephen. "Nintendo's New Exercise Adventure Game Is Ingenious, Even If It Makes Me Look Ridiculous. "Kotaku. Last updated October 17, 2019
https://kotaku.com/nintendo-s-new-exercise-adventure-game-is-ingenious-ev-1839133470
Varley, Ciaran. "Can Computer Games Make You Better at Sport in Real Life?" BBC Three. Last updated November 22, 2018.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/008d2e50-81c9-4352-bfb8-c37379d8553a
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