Generally, gaming has always been associated with sofas and darkened rooms. As featured on blogs and in magazines, though, it’s now experiencing an evolution, with sedentary lifestyles being left behind due to a strong selection of health and fitness video games. Additionally, some games aren’t billed as fitness-related products, but they still offer a more active package.
With gaming’s image now changing, an increasing number of people are discovering it for themselves. Of course, there is still clearly an appetite for smash-hit battle royale products like Fortnite and online slots based on hit TV shows like Breaking Bad: Collect Em & Link, but they’ve been supplemented by a wide range of releases that task players with moving their way to glory thanks to a more entertaining form of exercise. Let’s take a look at some of them below.
Ring Fit Adventure encourages players to get on their feet
If you have access to a Nintendo Switch, then Ring Fit Adventure is a title you simply have to play. It’s a fitness game that has reportedly changed lives by enabling gamers to rediscover the benefits of staying fit and healthy. In the release, players embark on a series of adventures while exploring exercises like yoga, running, and jumping. A product where movement is essential, the fact that Ring Fit Adventure encourages players to get on their feet can only be a good thing.
Beat Saber is an innovative VR release
Beat Saber is a truly innovative release due to its virtual reality aspect. While players wear headsets and move about in their living rooms, they’re working up a sweat. With blocks to slash in time to the beat as players aim to stick to the rhythm, this fun full-body workout benefits consumers by encouraging them to stay fit and active. On top of all its health and fitness-related benefits, Beat Saber is also incredibly fun.
Pokémon Go’s augmented reality offering forces people to get outside
While Pokémon Go isn’t strictly a health and fitness game, it offers a more active gaming package as players are forced to go outside. While they’re catching and evolving Pokémon in parks, trainers also have to hatch eggs by walking certain distances. Likewise, there are new Pokémon creatures spawning in their surrounding areas at all times, meaning they’re constantly having to be on the move to catch them. Numerous players have credited the game with helping them achieve their weight loss goals, while others have discovered walking again thanks to Niantic’s innovative product.
Kinect Adventures first came out in 2010
While Kinect Adventures isn’t new, and it probably wouldn’t rival some of the options we’ve already featured, given its somewhat outdated look and feel, it served an important purpose when it was released in 2010. Similar in many respects to the aforementioned Ring Fit Adventure, Kinect Adventures contained a motion tracking sensor that allowed players to tackle a comprehensive selection of games that tasked them with jumping, twisting, and ducking their way to glory. The product’s variety of mini games was both entertaining and impactful.
Zumba Fitness 2 is a useful fitness tool
Unless you’ve been living under a rock in the last decade or so, you’ll have noticed the rise of Zumba classes in gyms and on online platforms like YouTube. These high-energy group fitness sessions combine dance styles from around the world to create a more enjoyable workout option. As shown in Zumba Fitness 2, it also translates perfectly over to the gaming category. In the title, players burn calories and put their bodies through their paces in a virtual workout like no other.