Since the early beginnings of video games in the mid 20th century, video games have come a long way in terms of both complexity and differentiation. From Mario Kart to Fortnite, Call of Duty to Animal Crossing, there are many types of games to meet the needs of every player, even those looking for a workout! Today we are going to dive in and discuss the intersection of gaming and fitness and how games have helped players get in shape for almost four decades.
Going all the way back to the 1980’s, HighCycle by Autodesk and Puffer by Atari were some of the first attempts at blending gaming and fitness. Some of you may be familiar with Atari, as they are responsible for such historically significant games as Pong, Space Invaders, and Ms. Pacman. Puffer was Atari’s first step toward the intersection of gaming and fitness and, combined with the HighCycle, laid the foundation for modern stationary bicycles.
Moving ahead in time, we have notable introductions into the gaming and fitness space such as Dance Dance Revolution which, while not designed entirely with fitness in mind, required a high degree of physical fitness to complete its most challenging levels. However, the intersection of gaming and fitness really came to a tipping point with the introduction of the Wii Fit in 2007.
A phenomenon that swept the world, the Wii Fit had unprecedented sales and was the first mainstream step that introduced people to the combination of gaming and fitness. With over 21.13 million sales as of 2018, the Wii Fit was a step up from the original Wii, explicitly identifying fitness as the core use for the product.
So where does that leave us today? With the proliferation of virtual reality and extended reality, the intersection of gaming and fitness has become clearer than ever. At thrivXR, we provide an unparalleled fitness experience that combines the engagement and fun of video games with intense, invaluable workouts sure to provide the results you’re looking for. From XR Kickboxing to XR Avatar Racing and XR Yoga, there is something for everyone here at thrivXR Sports and Fitness!
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By Jacob Smith
