Comment from brettdl
Time: January 11, 2005, 2:10 pm

What a great idea, but just expand on it! For ANYONE to watch TV, they have to peddle to make it come on.

Comment from Dan
Time: January 14, 2005, 7:50 am

I’d love to see peddle power or treadmill powered electronic devices.

And, while having video games or devices that use physical ability while playing is somewhat like adding vitamins to junk food, I’d rather see the kids at least moving while they’re playing than sitting practically calcified on the couch or floor in a daze impervious to any stimuli outside the game….

Comment from Mark Sicignano
Time: January 14, 2005, 1:16 pm

Yes, I agree with you Dan, video game based exercise is better than none, just as adding vitamins to junk food is better than no vitamins at all.

But in both cases, there is a far healthier way. Shut off the games and go play outside, and eat your vegetables! :-)

Comment from Lady Wyntir
Time: May 7, 2005, 5:27 pm

oh my god… hahahaha!!

my friends and i spoke a great length about powering america with stationary bicycles and connected generators. talk about alternative energy and getting rid of the problem of obesity :P

anyway… i do think that the best way to stay fit is for exercise outside, running, jumping and being a kid, but times have changed and we need a way to steer kids away from staying on the couch.

have you read the University of Virginia’s study of DDR for PE class?

Story here.

Comment from Anonymous
Time: June 19, 2005, 8:30 pm

Actually, I disagree. Have you seen the amount of calories that can be burned by playing one round of a game like DDR? (A round consists of 3 songs, about 3 minutes each. That’s 9 minutes of exercise.)

In 9 minutes, one can burn the same number of calories that would be burned in say 30 minutes of swimming, 15 minutes of aerobic exercice, or in 35 minutes of “just going outside and playing” I’d imagine. While yes, it is better to play in the sun with nature, these games aren’t meant to be nature replacements, they’re treadmill replacements.

Comment from Mark Sicignano
Time: June 19, 2005, 8:44 pm

Got it… Yes, I see your point. As a treadmill replacement, they seem reasonable to me.

But as a nature replacement or a “get-outside-and-actively-play-in-the-sun” replacement, it doesn’t cut it.

…And there is something to be said about “any exercise is better than no exercise”. Ideally though, I think that kids need to unplug and go outside more than they currently do. If they got some exercise by playing DDR, and kept themselves in shape, they still need to get outside and play some friendly sports with the kids in the neighboorhood, hike in the woods, enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, and use their imagination.

Comment from Chez
Time: March 27, 2006, 9:12 am

You can get a belt that reads your heartrate and when it drops from your target it starts to mute the tv then eventualy shuts it off, it’s fine to say that kids should go out and play in the sun or eat veggies, but it’s not going to happen that way especialy if they are already overweight, if however they can loose enough by playing these games that they then regain thier confidence to go outside that is the hopefull target. And just to stop the slim ones from gaining more in the first place. I don’t think that it is really going to make them play any longer than they were already.