What do you think is more enjoyable, playing a video game or exercising? Most of us will agree that video games are generally more enjoyable (while some people who love their exercising routine will probably claim otherwise). In the past, we might had to choose between these 2 options at any given time – now, we can combine these 2 elements into one thing – a piece of technology that will allow us to exercise and play an addicting video game at the same time!
Take a look at this video showing the upcoming Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure game:
This game will be released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch console on October 18, 2019.
The Ring Fit Adventure game includes two accessories that are essential for its gameplay: a flexible resistance ring that’s called the Ring-Con and a leg strap that’s called the Leg Strap. We are talking about a cool turn based RPG game about a young athlete that embarks on a journey to save the world from a wicked body-building dragon.
Instead of using a regular game controller or keyboard – you need to perform exercises and other movements with the Ring-Con and Leg Strap. These exercises and movements will control your character in the game’s world. You can see some of these physical activities in the video above: knee lifts, squats, thigh press, overhead lunge twist and other exercises. The game also allows you to change the exercise intensity according to your needs.
Another feature of the Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure game is the quiet mode. In normal mode you need to jog in place in order to move your character around. However, jogging might make noise to the neighbors or other people in your house. In quiet mode you can simply replace the jogging with squats to do the same in-game actions (and squats shouldn’t make any noises).
As of this writing, Ring Fit Adventure is the only game that can be used with the Ring-Con and the Leg Strap. Some people may be disappointed by it while others probably won’t care at all because this is a long game that can played over and over again. We certainly hope to see more games that will take advantage of these 2 components in the future (such games can either be developed by Nintendo or by other third-parties that might be inspired by this cool technology).
The Nintendo Switch Console
We mentioned earlier that the Ring Fit Adventure game will be released for the Nintendo Switch console. Right now there are no plans to release the game for other platforms – so you will have to own the Nintendo Switch console in order to play Ring Fit Adventure. If you don’t own this console, then you probably want to learn more about it before you spend your money on it.
As you can see in the video, one of the most interesting features of the Nintendo Switch is that it can be used either as a portable device or as a home console – this is called a hybrid console. Moreover, the console’s graphics are really good, particularly for a portable handheld device. The Nintendo Switch comes with 2 Joy-Con controllers and can be used to play online games as well.
The Exergaming Genre
What is Exergaming? Well, it is a video game genre that includes “fitness games” where instead of using a game controller or keyboard – players have to perform exercises and movements in order to play the game. Such exergaming games use special technology to track the player’s movements and reactions – like the Ring-Con and the Leg Strap in case of the Ring Fit Adventure game.
The Ring Fit Adventure game (that belongs to the exergaming genre) isn’t the first exergaming video game that was developed by Nintendo. In 2007-2008 Nintendo released the Wii Fit game for the Wii video game console. However, Ring Fit Adventure seems to be much better than Wii Fit in almost any aspect – in terms of graphics, storyline, gameplay, overall experience and etc.
This exergaming genre may be older than you think. The first games in this genre were actually released back then in the late eighties. For example, the Power Pad was a floor mat game controller for the NES console. It was originally released as the Family Trainer in 1986 by Bandai and later was acquired by Nintendo and renamed the Power Pad in North America.
One of the main goals of developing exergames is to promote a more active lifestyle instead of the sedentary lifestyle that is so recognized with video games, and rightfully so. While there is still much more research to be done on, studies have shown that exergames can have positive physiological results and promote beneficial physical activity.
The Health Effects of a Sedentary Lifestyle
First of all, what exactly does it mean to live a sedentary lifestyle? Well, it basically means to live a life with little or no physical activity. Such a lifestyle usually involves sitting or lying for extended periods of times while watching T.V., using the computer or mobile phone or even reading a book.
This growing phenomenon becomes a serious public health issue. Unfortunately, living a sedentary lifestyle can cause so many health issues to the extent that it might be depressing to discuss and list all of these problems. So, here is just a partial list of adverse health effects:
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Back pain
- High blood pressure
- Anxiety
- Obesity
- Skin problems
I’ve even had my share of back pain after sitting for too many hours and doing very little physical activity. Now, I’m engaging in aerobic activity a few times a week in addition to strength training, because I want to be healthy and stay away from those annoying pains. You should try that too – it’s not this bad and you might enjoy it as well!
Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure’s Exercises
If you want to get bigger muscles, huge biceps, pump up your chest and get those 8 pack abs – then you should know that the Ring Fit Adventure game isn’t going to help you in this regard. If you want to get a serious workout for your body – you will have to go to the gym. Ring Fit Adventure can be a cool and fun addition to a real exercising routine, but it definitely can’t replace a gym workout.
You can’t really compare regular bodyweight squats to weighted squats if you want to build muscle. It’s the same issue with other muscles like the upper back – if you want to strengthen your upper back muscles you will have to use weights (for example, in the gym) or use your own bodyweight by doing pull ups or other exercises with resistance bands.
While the Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure can’t be used to build a lot of muscle and can’t be compared to working out at the gym, the game will still make you burn a lot of calories and move your body and muscles – which is also extremely important. Some of the exercises in the Ring Fit Adventure can do wonders for the health of people that don’t engage in a lot of physical activity – for example, the plank and squat exercises.
The plank is an isometric exercise that works on our core and other muscles like the shoulders, back, glutes, legs and more. Even though the plank is a very simple exercise that we can perform anywhere we desire (because it requires no equipment) – we still need to remember to maintain correct form while doing it (that’s important for any exercise). The reason that we want to keep the form right is to avoid injuries – so don’t do stupid mistakes and listen to people that already know what they’re doing.
The squat is another great exercise for our legs but we have to remember to maintain proper posture. Please don’t repeat common mistakes that are done by beginners and keep your knees behind your toes – or else you risk damaging your knee (and that’s the last thing you want).
Another advantage of playing Ring Fit Adventure is to improve the flexibility of our muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints. Actually, the lack of flexibility may cause a variety of problems like pain, increased chance of injuries, balance disorders and etc. Some of the exercises that can be done in Ring Fit Adventure like the tree pose, the hinge pose and other exercises can definitely help your body become more flexible.
It will be interesting to see if the Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure will be the harbinger of new video games that will have good gameplay, graphics and will also be fun and healthy for us as the same time. If these games will make some of us live a less sedentary lifestyle – it will be better for everyone.