OK Kids, Grab Your Game Console and Get Moving!

-- Game manufacturers take on child obesity --

With 15 percent of children ages 6 to 19 considered overweight, looking for new and innovative ways to get kids up and moving around is taking on an increasing urgency.

Many experts point to the sedentary habits of kids as partly to blame for weight problems. Activities like playing computer or video games and watching TV are all pointed at as common villains.

According to Nina Parker-Cohen, associate professor of clinical psychology at Argosy University/Seattle "the economic realities of today include lay-offs and parents working two jobs, meaning longer hours away from home, and leaving kids unsupervised more often.

That means, no one is at home to encourage kids to head outside, exercise, play and be physically active." In addition, Parker-Cohen points out that pre-adolescents and adolescents are at a "critical time of development, where physical activity provides very important health benefits."

So what can a parent do who isn't able to be home to shoo their kids outside to play? Some game companies are stepping up to the plate to address these concerns by creating games that not only get kids moving around, but demand activity as part of game play and a winning strategy.

Perhaps the best known of all these games is Dance, Dance Revolution by Konami and Eye Toy by PlayStation. Toy Quest's SpiderMan 2 Web Action Video Gaming System features an onscreen SpiderMan who mirrors a player's movements using sensors strapped on the wrist and ankles.

For PlayStation 2 game consoles, "Eye Toy:Play 2" comes with a video camera that is easily installed. The game, according to Wonil Suh, an interactive media design instructor at The Art Institute of New York City, "is comprised of a diverse set of exercises that are designed to be not only healthy but also utterly fun. In no time you will find your kids and yourself dancing, moving and actually exercising in front of your game console."

Taking on childhood obesity and other health-related issues has become an ongoing concern in the game industry. In fact, game manufacturers have responded by developing conferences specifically focused on health-related matters. Perhaps the best known is Games for Health, an annual conference produced by The Serious Games Initiative (http://www.gamesforhealth.org/).

According to Drew Davidson, academic department director for interactive media design and game art & design at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh "initiatives such as Games for Health are important because they provide a forum for sharing ideas and encouraging discussion around the issues of how games can be used to help promote health."

Health concerns aside, the bottom line is no one will play the games if they're not fun. Says Chris McGhee, academic director of game art & design and interactive media design for The Art Institute of Phoenix,

"Companies realize that they must target the kids, because without their enthusiasm, the game will not get much support when parents are making buying decisions." And perhaps the best impact of this push to create active games is that "games are becoming more useful in simulating situations that encourage kids to make better decisions," he adds.

Some industry experts however are not so sure that game playing in itself needs to take on so much blame for kids who don't get enough exercise or who are overweight. Marc Sherrod, academic director of game art & design for The Art Institute of California - San Francisco believes "the bottom line is balance. Ten hours a day playing games is not healthy, nor is ten hours a day studying or playing sports." Says Sherrod "it's balance and guidance that gives youngsters a solid foundation to be successful adults later in life."

Argosy University, with 13 campuses and four extension sites across the nation, offers undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate degrees in the disciplines of business, education, health sciences, and psychology and behavioral sciences. Argosy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (NCA) (30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, 1.312.263.0456, www.ncahlc.org).

The Art Institutes system of 31 education institutions is located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The Art Institutes system of schools has provided career-oriented education programs for 40 years with more than 160,000 graduates. For more information visit The Art Institutes website at www.artinstitutes.edu/nr.

Source: Argosy University; The Art Institutes
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 8, 2005 /PRNewswire/ --

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