22 September 2011

An Idea for the Inevitable Wii Fit 2.

I'm currently undertaking a "challenge" at work as part of my employer's health and wellbeing inititiative.  It's basically a competition to see which team can walk the most steps over a 10-week period.  Now, everyone in my immediate vicinity knows that I walk to and from work regardless, so they attached a pedometer to me and elected me their captain.  And it's actually quite surprising how many steps I do clock up during a weekday.  So each day we log the number of steps we have taken the day before, reset our pedometers, and get back to walking again.  Each step logged puts our team closer to a virtual goal on the map, which I guess you could say is the finish line if you didn't get to keep moving it once you've reached it.

Anyway, all of this business has got me to thinking about Wii Fit 2 and how it could function more as the fitness hub it's always wanted to be.  My suggestion would be to include a pedometer with the game.  The player would go for a walk around the neighbourhood, or to and from work, then log their steps in Wii Fit 2, putting them a little bit closer towards some virtual goal or other.  Players could join teams (or 'clans', if you will) and compete in online leaderboards, perhaps even in a virtual race around the world's equator (or to the moon!).  That way you're encouraging people to be active and go outside, but you're encouraging them to come back to the game as well.  It could encourage a sense of community between like-minded people, using individual play to work towards a common goal, in a similar fashion to Noby Noby Boy.  Sure beats the hell out of jogging on the spot with a Wiimote in your back pocket.

First Wuhu Island, and then the world!  Muwahahahahaa!!


I'm sure this could be applied to other activities as well.  I just think that if the inevitable Wii Fit sequel seeks to be relevant, it needs to work itself into our lives rather than try to distract us from it, in a similar fashion to Personal Trainer: Cooking.  And that means emphasising its role as a hub rather than the be-all and end-all of fitness programs.

No comments:

Post a Comment