Many people think that video games are not a healthy recreational hobby for children, or anyone for that matter. Video games are associated with television binging and being a couch potato. Being sedentary is not a healthy lifestyle. However, the gaming and video game console scene is changing and incorporating a much larger measure of physical activity and exertion more than ever before. Let us consider some gaming examples that support the statement that video gaming is not a couch potato sport anymore. Yes, there is an uprising in the making. The twenty first century has spawned a new wave of gaming concepts. Physical activity and video games are merging, thus making it a bit more appealing to those who are aware and conscious of their health.
Movement and Video Games
There exists certain video games that require more than sitting down and pressing buttons with your hands while your eyes are fastened tight to the television screen. It is becoming a trend these days for children to become couch potatoes. These children stay at home a lot and sit for hours in front of the television or computer. However, because of the stressing of the importance of physical exercise, gaming has been slowly being reinvented with exercise in mind.
For instance, take the video game Dance Dance Revolution. This video game requires a complimenting dance pad where players are required to jump and move and land on certain parts of the dance pad according to what the directions are on the screen to get points to win. This game requires constant motion and movement, so players are not sitting down but rather they are getting some physical activity.
To add to this, the Nintendo Wii uses sensory technology and incorporates it into their new concept of video gaming. All video games require motion and reenactment on the part of the players, and therefore these players are also constantly in motion.
Although just playing video games that require physical movement is not enough to keep a person healthy, it is a great step towards making exercise fun, and curing the debilitating couch potato disease. In a way, video games that require movement is a really great disguise for physical exertion and a great way to get your kids to be a little more active than usual. And it is not just for kids, because although many adults will not admit it, they enjoy video games just as much, if not more, than kids. So take a small but focused step towards getting yourself healthy and substitute your traditional couch potato gaming for video games that require movement.