/. reports that the fitness industry is pulling in digital technology to attract the "yooth" to exercise emporia in Southern California. According to ArsTechnica:
In addition to the standard array of cardio equipment and weights, Overtime Fitness has several gaming-oriented machines. Perhaps most familiar is In The Groove 2, a Dance Dance Revolution knockoff. The center features a few In The Groove 2 arcade machines, along with a few Cybex Trazers. The Trazer is a "virtual reality" fitness machine that "puts you in the game," as Neale-May describes it. The kids put on an infrared belt which then maps their movements to the action onscreen. They play games that involve lunging, jumping, and other vigorous movements, which show up on the monitor as the user reacts to virtual dodgeballs and other stimuli. "We had kids try out the Trazer. They'd have a blast and come out completely drenched in sweat after ten minutes," said Ferrell.
Tapping the exercise craze (literally) is a no brainer. Nike's EyeToy Kinetic kept me active during the cold winter months last year, and increasingly future-thinkers in the UK school system (and in other countries) are incorporating game technologies into physical education classrooms. It appears to bridge the gaps between gameplay and public acceptance.
