Be Fit With Biray

According to the Entertainment Software Association, the statistics on video games state that the average video game player is 33-years-old. Well, today is my birthday and although I’m just shy of 33, I definitely fall within one standard deviation from that number. I guess that either makes me statistically significant or just your average game player…

I have played video games and computer games since childhood. Although the average game player has played for approximately 12 years, I exceed that by 7-8 years - at least. (Most of my friends don’t know this about me: my brother and I used to program computer games on the family CGA Compaq Presario and often played through lunch and dinner.)

Today, in order to celebrate my ‘geekiness,’ I have devoted part of my day to playing video games, discussing video games, and (dare I say) purchasing video games!

This semester at Mesa Community College, I’m instructing a class called Priniciples of Fitness & Wellness in the Exercise Science Department. Because a lot of discussion surrounds video games and their influences on our culture, I thought it might be an appropriate opportunity to focus on those physically interactive games (like Dance Dance Revolution - aka DDR - and Nintendo’s Wii-Fit) and their impact in the health and fitness community. Not only is this a great way to discuss the alternative ways technology is being used to promote healthful behaviors, but it is a legitimate excuse for me to bring my PS2 to class and set up the DDR play-offs for my students! (Needless to say, they LOVED it!)

Keep the spirit alive and be sure to “Get your game on today!”