Schools turn to video games for exercise

The latest issue of KidScreen Magazine highlights Konami’s attempt to get their brand into schools, achieve “gatekeeper approval” from teachers and score huge points with kids by turning gym class into video game playtime.

At an April 2005 conference for physical educators, the Redwood City, California-based company introduced the idea that its Dance Dance Revolution franchise (sales of which reached 1.2 million units in North America last year) could offer an affordable and fun way to get kids up and moving in the classroom. DDR is based on dance mimicry, so players must imitate a series of moves to music in order to rack up points. The level of difficulty increases as they progress through the game’s levels.

Besides the obvious benefits of exercise and improved hand-eye coordination, Konami pointed out that DDR could be a relatively cheap addition to any phys-ed program. As opposed to shelling out a small fortune for 25 basketballs or 25 baseball gloves, schools can use their existing TV sets, and then purchase an Xbox or PlayStation console for roughly US$149 and the game software for US$60.

Let’s see . . . one game of DDR = 2 kids “exercising” at a cost of $210, or one basketball game with one ball = 10 kids exercising at a cost of $20. Hmmm . . . maybe the video games should be used to help the folks at Konami with their math.

tagged: [education] [video_games] [tech]