Nintendo: Walking is a Game Now

We’ve discussed Zyked, and efforts to link workout stats in an online social or gaming environment. Now, Mike Musgrove over at the Washington Post has a nice article on the Nintendo DS title, Personal Trainer: Walking. Seeking to capitalize on the success of such effort inducing products like the Wii Fit, Nintendo essentially tied a pedometer to software that runs on the DS. Players download their pedometer data to the DS and it tracks statistics, compares your daily distances walked with your friends’ records, etc.

Musgrove discovered he walks around 8,000 steps a day. Out of curiosity, he attached the pedometer to his dog one day. The animal recorded 4,000 steps. Alas, the pedometer he gave his son was quickly lost at summer camp.

“Walking is a game now?” one of the lad’s incredulous campmates asked as they waited for the morning bus to arrive one recent weekday. “Nintendo is genius.”

Yes, walking is a game now. And, physical activity continues to be mated with video games in interesting ways.

References:
Musgrove, M. (2009, August 23). Nintendo makes some strides. The Washington Post. [Online]. Available: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082104305.html?nav=emailpage