Zamzee and health as a game

[Ahriman238]

Okay, so 2 years ago a new product was tested called Zamzee. Basically, it's a pedometer, but you periodically upload your progress, get a number of points, and a little character on a screen moves down a line to the point at which you win the level and start over. You earn fictitious money "Zams" that can be used to customize your little computer avatar, or even buy real things.

This was the first in a new wave of devices that record physical activity or healthy habits and give you points or xp based on them, the idea being that people are basically reward-oriented and can completly live with their lives being turned into videogames. Others include the Nike Fuelband, which uses a heart monitor and rewards you for meeting or exceeding a set daily goal for exercise. There's also the Zeo Sleep Manager, a bluetooth sensor headband you wear in bed, that has an alarm clock function and can tell you to the minute how long you were asleep, n light sleep or REM sleep.

I have heard of something similar you stick on your dog's collar and rewards you for walking and running the dog, but I haven't confirmed it's existence.

There was apparently a study taken of the Zamzee 2 years ago just before it was sold. 350 11-14 year olds were given Zamzees, half (as control group) were just given the pedometer, and half were given the full package and monitored for 12 weeks. The control group almost completely quit before the first month, the kids who got to level up were showing a 30% increase in activity by the time the study ended, a figure crowed over on the product and company websites.

So, do you guys think this will work to make people exercise more? Do you think it could cheapen life to add a video game like system of rewards? Do you want one or more of these devices yourself?

[madd0ct0r]

i have one of those devices myself. it's ok, but i keep forgetting to pick it up.