Exergaming Timeline
Below is a short timeline on the history of Exergaming.
This is done in order to give readers of my thesis, and other works, an insight into the interesting history of Exergaming.
The Amiga Joyboard
The Amiga Joyboard was a balance board exergame that was one of the first of it’s kind. It was created in order to promote athletic and balance training.
via https://archive.org/details/info-magazine-13/page/n43/mode/2up?view=theater
Atari Puffer
The Atari Puffer was possibly one of the first, if not the first of it’s kind. It was an exercise bike that has been “hooked up” to a video game. In this video game you have to pedal to make a car go faster.
However, this never fully reached the market due to the 1983 Video Game Crash.
via https://kotaku.com/atari-puffer-the-wii-fit-of-1982-453119585
Power Pad for Famicom
The Power Pad was a special floor mat controller developed by Bandai in 1986 for the Famicom also known as the “Family Trainer”. Nintendo later acquired the rights to this floor controller in 1988.
via https://niwanetwork.org/wiki/Power_Pad
Computrainer
The Computertrainer was a game that was created for the NES that was intended for people to use as a Fitness Game. This was extremely similar to the Atari Puffer, in that it was conducted on an exercise bike. However, the Computrainer game was around till 2017 making it one of the longest running Exergaming games.
via https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/02/computrainer-ceases-production.html
Exertainment System
This game was almost like an evolved version of the Computrainer and Atari Puffer. It was an Exercise bike that was hooked up to a video game system developed by Nintendo and Life Fitness.
It was short lived however as it cost too much (over $2000) and had only two games.
via https://boingboing.net/2020/04/07/before-peloton-there-was-the.html
Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) was developed by Konami in 1998. In this game, by utilizing player movement, the game is played. The player dances to the beat and achieves a score depending on how fast they can react to a total of 10 songs.
via https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363544/
Exertris
Exertris was an exergaming platform developed by Gareth Davies in the year 2000. This is another predecessor of the modern day Peleton and NordicTrack. The Exertris featured a screen on the front which moved in tandem to the pedaling a player was doing.
via https://newatlas.com/exertris-interactive-exercise-bike/2123/
Gamercize
The Gamercize was a console that was created for use with the Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation and multiple other consoles. The purpose of this system was “to provide entertainment through video games while exercising on fitness equipment.”
via https://wikies.wiki/wiki/en/Gamercize
Nintendo Wii
The Nintendo Wii was revolutionary when it came out. It was a way for people to get exercise from their home in a conventional manner while also not costing too much. When it first arrived in the markets it rivaled the likes of PS3 and Xbox 360.
via https://www.engadget.com/2014-06-15-gadget-rewind-2006-nintendo-wii.html
Wii Fit Board
A year after the Nintendo Wii’s huge success, the creators decided to release an accompanying controller with the system which was the Wii Fit Board. This board tracked weight and balance on the board and was wireless.
via https://www.engadget.com/2007-07-11-nintendo-wii-fit-gets-you-stepping.html
FitBit
FitBit was founded in early 2007 by James Park and Eric Friedman who wanted to use sensors in small wearable devices. While this isn’t a traditional form of exergaming, it does involve the active gamification of exercise in helping motivation. The FitBit is still popular and being updated to this day.
via https://www.wareable.com/fitbit/story-of-fitbit-7936
Flurry of Exergames
In the Mid to Late 2000s a flurry of exergames hit the market after the huge success of the Nintendo Wii. Games such as iDANCE, iSTEP, Cobalt Flux Blufit, CYber coach, NeoRacer etc. all released after the Wii Fit to gain money in the 2000s.
Xbox Kinect
The connect launched with an explosion in 2010, offering players using the Xbox the option to play games without controllers and use their body and voice to command things. The body tracking movements on this device were revolutionary for the time and definitely paved the way for future motion tracking exergames.
via https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/01/rip-kinect-2010-2017ish/
Zombies, Run!
In this exergame you are one of the few who have survived a zombie epidemic and you must outrun a hoard of zombies chasing you in this augmented reality mobile game.
This game promotes running and walking in the fun form of a post-apocalyptic exergame. It was possibly one of the first of it’s kind in the mobile games stores and certainly paved the way for future mobile exergames.
via https://zombiesrungame.com/
Peloton
Peloton were founded in 2012 but didn’t actually sell any products till 2013 when they finished their kickstarter.
Peloton is just the most recent (including the NordicTrack) of an absolutely massive lineage of exercise bike-led video games.
The idea came from when John Foley found that his instructor-led workouts were much more rewarding than his self-led trips to the gym and he wanted to compile that into an exergame. Thus creating the Peloton bike we know today.
via https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/12/how-peloton-exercise-bikes-and-streaming-gained-a-cult-following.html
Xbox Fitness
The Xbox fitness was a milestone reached by the Xbox team which was an online service that featured the most popular fitness video games and made them interactive. This was featuring some of the worlds most famous personal trainers who would accompany some videos on this service.
via https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2013/09/27/xbox-one-xbox-fitness-unveiled/
Apple Watch
The Apple Watch, similar to the FitBit, is not a traditional “exergame” as much as it is a gamification of exercise.
The Apple Watch was designed to allow users to lead a “healthy life”. It allows users to track their movements, heart rate, breathing, sleeping patterns and much more.
The Apple Watch and FitBit and Samsung Galaxy Watch are not exergames, but do gamify exercising to a degree in that you work toward a goal and receive updates, objectives and rewards.
Pokémon Go
Pokemon Go released in 2016 and quickly became one of the most successful mobile games of all time. This app encouraged users to go outside and hunt Pokémon on an augmented reality mobile game app.
In just two years this game grossed $2 billion in revenue and had been downloaded over 800 million times.
via https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2018/02/10/pokemon-go-science-health-benefits/?sh=33c3a5b73ab0
Samsung Galaxy Watch
The Samsung Galaxy watch was released in 2018 and just like the FitBit and Apple Watch, it is not a piece of exergaming technology but does offer the user the option of gamifying their exercise.
Ring Fit Adventure
Finally, Ring Fit Adventure was released on the Nintendo Switch in 2019 and it’s sole purpose is to improve cardio fitness in users.
It was released at an optimal time as it was just before the sustained lockdowns due to Covid-19 came in and thus the Ring Fit Adventure game was a huge success.
The controllers on the player measure the amount of walking and running a player does and equates that with gameplay, so to progress in game you have to partake in cardio fitness exercise.
via https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/lifestyle/article/ring-fit-adventure-review
