The New Lightspace Play Wall - Interactive Exergaming Wall

The All new Lightspace Play Wall combines the latest in interactive technology with software controlled content that will provide hours of fun and exercise for kids and adults of all ages and abilities. The system is capable of storing and running a potentially limitless variety of games and interactive programs that can be used by multiple participants simultaneously. The Lightspace Play Wall creates an engaging experience that will draw young children, teenagers and adults to activities what will excite and entertain them, all while keeping them active and fit.

Geared toward players of varying ages and skill levels, each game, whether single player or multiplayer, offers unique challenges and exciting game play. Games include everything from throwing balls at moving targets, to cardio workouts where users follow and activate different points on the surface. All games have scoring systems that give users instant feedback with individual goals to achieve.

Tommy Seilheimer VP of Exergame Fitness adds:
"We are very excited to see the launch of the Lightspace Wall because it has everything we are looking for in a product. It has an arcade style touch-screen cabinet and the colors on the LED wall panels are ultra vibrant. It delivers a fun atmosphere for the room it is in and best of all we see kids “smiling and sweating it up” trying to beat eachother’s high scores.

At Exergame Fitness all of the products we carry are tested in our research and development center located in Palatine, Illinois. When testing the Lightspace Play Floor, the mini-games on the wall generated voluntary game play from the kids and at some points, we just couldn’t seem to get them off it to test it ourselves.

The Lightspace Play Floor system was one of our top selling products in 2008, and now we are happy to be delivering the Lightspace Play Wall system as an alternative solution to other interactive wall products that are outdated and have complicated programming.

This is a perfect product foor YMCA's, Schools, Park Districts, Churches, Doctor Offices, Kid Zone and more. The Lightspace Play Wall has an attractive pricepoint and is easy on the budget. it is very simple to use, engaging and we have seen great results from this product.”

The Lightspace Play Wall includes an interactive surface made up of LED-lit and pressure-sensitive tiles constructed to fit an 8’ by 4’ (2,44m x 1,2m) footprint. Each tile is 16” by 16” and 2.5 inches thick (406mm x 406mm x 61mm).

The tiles are able to detect the location, movement and force of participants or objects, creating a realistic gaming experience with instant feedback displayed on the surface or through sound effects.

The Lightspace Play Wall is available at http://www.exergamefitness.com/. Call 877.668.4664 or email at info@exergamefitness.com

About Exergame Fitness Find Out More About Us Here
Exergame Fitness is the world’s largest distributor & supplier of Exergaming, Exerlearning, Kids Fitness Products & Solutions to YMCA’s, Schools, JCC’s. Park Districts, Health Clubs, Hospitals, Kid Zones, Family Entertainment Centers, Casinos, Government/VA and more. Exergame Fitness provides Facility Planning & Installation, Grant & Funding Assistance, Program Design & Product Training, Turnkey Marketing Support, Free Layout Designs & Concepts, Detailed Programming Curriculums, Finance & Lease Options and more. Exergame Fitness offers the lowest prices on any of the products they carry backed by a 110% Lowest Price Guarantee.

Chicagoland based company Exergame Fitness is bringing their “FREE Exergaming Education Workshop” to Fishers, Indiana on Thursday August 14th 2008 at

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 26, 2008 – Chicagoland based company Exergame Fitness is bringing their “FREE Exergaming Education Workshop” to Fishers, Indiana on Thursday August 14th 2008 at Xtreme Fun & Fitness.

This FREE Exergaming Education Workshop is specifically targeted towards YMCA’s, JCC’s, Schools, Hospitals, Park Districts and Health Clubs around the Central and Eastern United States designed to provide “Fun, Realistic & Proven Solutions that battle Childhood Obesity”

This August the workshop will be held at Xtreme Fun and Fitness in Fishers, Indiana (XFF). XFF is owned and operated by CEO Judi Cooper and is currently Indiana’s premier Exergame facility which captures a true Exergaming experience complete with programming, design and a great marketing program designed to increase business and memberships.

Judi approached Motion Fitness with a lifelong goal of opening up a kids health, wellness & Exergaming center and brought in products that she believed would help her reach her vision and budget. With much success she has been successfully up and running, been on local news outlets and is turning Indiana’s kids into “Exer-gamers”!

We asked Judi about the success of her club & she adds:

“I can’t tell you enough how rewarding it feels to see inactive/overweight kids come into the facility, and watch them have a blast working out with continuous sweat pouring off their bodies. When it comes time to leaving, the parents have such a difficult time getting the kids to leave. Then to see them return the next day with a grin from ear to ear saying “we’re back” is very rewarding personally & professionally. Finally there is a concept that works and gets results concerning kid’s health.

When I first decided to open up this type of a facility I researched the different products and pricing for several weeks. I chose to partner with Motion Fitness for several reasons. They were very accessible and I was able to drive up for a day and try everything out first hand at their Exergaming facility in Palatine, Illinois. Since they are inside of a YMCA I really got too see the kids using the products which was fun. We also went over my business plan in detail. That really gave me a focused plan on how to make a successful decision based on my ideas and programming.

As hard as I tried to find an overall lower price on the pieces I wasn’t able to. They truly offer the best prices in the market and great post-sale services and programming. In the end, they gave me more than just a price; it was a personalized service that really focused on the success of my Exergaming club. That was a big reason why I decided to go with Motion Fitness.

After a meeting with them they provided me with a quote and layout for my facility. Then I was all set to open my new location. Our working relationship quickly became more of a partnership. I was new to the Exergaming industry and they shared a lot of marketing ideas with me, knowledge, training…really offered their support and help in any way I needed it in order to see me succeed. They have been absolutely wonderful to work with.
Exergaming is a fairly new concept that I know will really take off as we spread the word and get more people involved with Exergaming. My club has been picking up in business each month as the word gets out. Some have a fairly good idea of what it’s all about, but it really hits home with them once they come in and try out the gaming pieces. I hear “WOW, this place is awesome…what a great concept. You will do very well here and you should consider turning this into a franchise.”

I believe we have an opportunity to make a positive difference in those that will be our future leaders, so we need to step up to the plate and make a commitment to work with kids/youth in lowering the obesity rate, which will in turn lower our healthcare cost.”

Motion Fitness is the world’s largest distributor & supplier of Exergaming fitness products including having over 6 International Distributors who are gaining momentum. Motion Fitness regularly holds Exergaming Education Workshops at their Palatine, Illinois headquarters located inside the Buehler YMCA which houses over 18,000+ members. Motion Fitness displays the industries top Exergaming products inside of the YMCA that can be used by any workshop attendees. Using the YMCA as their testing and research facility Motion can test new products, hold Exergaming workshops and give live demonstrations of the industry’s up and coming Exergaming products.

Ed Kasanders, CEO of Motion Fitness added:

“Our Exergaming Education Workshops offer an ideal showcase for participants because they offer hands on experience by using the industry leading products that battle obesity.

Computer based games have proven to be successful in many applications. Simply put, kids want to be entertained; they love playing games and in general do not like traditional exercise.
Our workshops have been well attended in the past and we look forward to bringing more people from the central and eastern region to this workshop to learn about this great tool to battle obesity.”


Exergaming Education Workshop Includes:
Grant & Funding Assistance
Hands-On Product Training & Testing
Health and Benefits Training
Program Curriculums for Kids, Teens, Adults. Special Needs and Seniors
Exergame Marketing Ideas and Support
Finance & Leasing Information
Return on Investment

Guest Speakers Attending:
Ed Kasanders – Motion Fitness
Gus Condezo – New Vision Leasing
Marian Shaw – Makoto USA
Gary Florindo – Lightspace
Carlos Aviles – Skywall
Phil Lawler – PE4Life

Products You Can Test!:
Lightspace Play
Exerbike
Hoggan Sprint Circuit
Dance Dance Revolution
Dancetown DDR
Cybex Trazer
Makoto Sports Arena
Xavix
Sportwall

Guest Hotel Information:
Residence Inn
9765 Crosspoint Blvd
Fishers, IN. 46038
Phone: 317-842-1111
Discounted Rate of $119 plus tax

To register for this FREE workshop, please visit the Exergaming Education Registration Page here or call 847.963.8969 x1103

Exergame Fitness is the world’s largest distributor & supplier of Exergame fitness products to YMCA’s, Schools, JCC’s, Park Districts, Health Clubs, Hospitals, Kid Zones, Family Entertainment Centers, Casinos, Government/VA and more. Exergame Fitness provides Facility Planning & Installation, Grant & Funding Assistance, Program Design & Product Training, Turnkey Marketing Support, Free Layout Designs & Concepts, Detailed Programming Curriculums, Finance & Lease Options and more. Exergame Fitness offers the lowest prices on any of the products they carry backed by a 110% Lowest Price Guarantee.

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Exergaming Your Way to Fitness

NPR RADIO - by Allison Aubrey

Listen Now [4 min 39 sec] add to playlist

Are those mail-order kickboxing tapes gathering dust on top of your VCR? Before you pop them in, consider some of the advantages and disadvantages of sweating in the privacy of your own home.

The Pros of Home Workouts

• It's Cheap
  Many exercises can be done at home for free or for the price of a few sets of dumbbells. Workout videos are another option, generally only $10 to $20—significantly less than a monthly gym membership. But for home fitness requiring more pricey equipment (including Wii Fit at $89.99), think about whether you're sure you'll stick with it before splurging.
• It's Easy
  It's hard enough to find time to work out without having to trek back and forth to the gym. Home workouts can be easier to fit into a busy schedule. Only have 15 minutes? Want to work out at 2 a.m.? Much like those yoga instructors on television, home fitness is flexible.
• Your Eyes Only
  For people who are just beginning a regular exercise routine or who are self conscious about exercising in front of others, home workouts can provide a more comfortable space.

The Cons of Home Workouts

• You Gotta Have Friends
  Staying committed to exercise is easier if you do it with a friend, and the gym is a great place to meet like-minded and like-scheduled workout buddies. Of course, you can always invite a friend over for a joint home yoga session, but that leads to the next point...
• A Tight Squeeze
  It requires some creativity to adapt a living room to a workout space. And it means sacrificing a gym's variety of equipment, powerful air circulation and tailored facilities.
• Sticking With It
  The routine of going to the gym—and the fact that you're paying for it—can motivate people to go regularly. And sometimes getting out of the house can help clear the mind of daily stresses, making workouts seem relaxing rather than a chore.
• Don't Try This at Home
  If you're going to be doing demanding exercises, it's important to do them correctly so you don't hurt yourself. Although video and TV instructors are great for motivation, they can't check your form and correct your technique like gym trainers can.

How Fit Are You?

Heidi Glenn, NPR

NPR science editor David Malakoff takes the President's Challenge in NPR's very tiny gym, with correspondent Brenda Wilson counting his sit-ups.

Before you start the home workouts, you can find out how fit you are with a new test from the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

It's an adult version of the test kids take in school, complete with push-ups, sit-ups and a flexibility test. At www.adultfitnesstest.org, you can find instructions on the President's Challenge Adult Fitness Test, and enter in your results for an online evaluation.

• Listen: Can you pass the President's Adult Fitness Test?
  add

Video games designed to provide a workout are becoming big business.

As proof, look no further than last week's Games for Health national conference at which health researchers and game-makers showed off their latest innovations. Specialized games about protein folding and nutrition shared a venue with Nintendo's new mass-marketed exercise game Wii Fit, set to hit U.S. stores on Monday.

The Wii fit is the latest entry in a string of exercise video games, or "exergames." Nintendo's Power Pad, released in the 1980s, traded hand-held controllers for a floor mat that users jumped on. But the first exergame to make a real splash was Dance Dance Revolution after it was introduced in Japanese arcades in 1998. When schools in West Virginia documented that DDR helped kids dance their way to fitness, researchers and game-makers took note.

David Monk was one such game-maker. He works with Xergames Technology, which began making a similar game once it saw DDR's potential. "DDR kind of started it all, but it's going places that we don't even know yet," Monk says.

The buzz around active gaming has propelled the popularity of the Wii gaming console, which became a huge hit when Nintendo unleashed it in 2006. There's a lot of chatter that Wii games motivate old folks and families to get up and move around. Now, with its new Wii Fit, Nintendo steps up the competition.

The Wii Fit utilizes a balance board and features games specifically designed to boost areas such as balance and strength. One new game involves a hula-hoop challenge, which exercise researcher Alastair Thin demonstrated at the conference in Baltimore. Thin played a Japanese version of the game, on display by the group Gaming4Health.com.

Standing on the Wii's motion-sensitive board, Thin drew a crowd as he dipped and turned to catch on his head virtual hoops being tossed at him.

The game has obvious amusement value. Thin says that at first glance, the Wii Fit might not appear to have exercise value. "I know what exercise is. I can measure exercise on a bike or treadmill," he says.

But when Thin hopped off the board a few minutes later, he put his finger to his wrist to take his pulse: 156 beats per minute, definitely in the range of aerobic activity.

Getting Video Games Down to a Science

Thin teaches exercise physiology in the much colder climate of Edinburgh, Scotland, at Heriot Watt University. For students there, the weather can be an obstacle to outdoor exercise for months out of the year.

So when Wii Fit first hit store shelves in Great Britain last month, Thin was ready in his exercise lab to test it out. He bought two game consoles and recruited 11 students to try the games. Each wore a heart rate band so he could measure the workout's intensity.

In the step-aerobics game, similar to Dance Dance Revolution, Thin says students had trouble with coordination. Their heart rates rose to the equivalent of a moderate walking pace of 3.4 miles an hour. By comparison, Thin says, six minutes of hula-hooping brought the students to the cusp of a moderately intense cardiovascular workout.

"It's not just your hips — it's your arms, your shoulders, your legs, your ankles. Everything's working there and you're exercising really pretty hard," Thin explains.

The point of exergaming is that it's supposed to be more appealing than just walking or running on a treadmill, and Thin says his students told him the Wii Fit was fun.

What's unclear is whether they would have had the same experience without doing it in a group. Was it the camaraderie or competition that kept them going? These are the questions Thin wants to answer with additional research.

Meeting a Need

Thin says he's concerned that all the hype over virtual gaming will drown out the need for serious assessment.

"That's why I think it's very important to get ... good measurements as to just how much physical activity is involved," he says.

Studies that show a proven benefit could help push exergaming into more public spaces such as schools, gyms and recreation centers.

Nintendo isn't the only company hoping to capitalize on the games.

Brian Batease, who runs the game company Lightspace Corp. in Boston, says that if exergames get kids up and moving around, that can't be a bad thing. And he says there's a big demand. "Anything that's going to get kids off the couch ... it's going to be huge." The Lightspace Play can be found at a company called Exergame Fitness. This company is leading the industry in combining exercise and gaming for kids, teens and adults. YMCA's, Schools and JCC's are taking huge steps in making Exergaming the new form in kids health.

Games For Health Conference Reveals 2008 Specifics

April 28, 2008

The Games for Health Conference has announced full details on the line-up for its 2008 conference, to be held May 8th and 9th, 2008, at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore,
MD.

USA Exergaming distributors Exergame Fitness and Motion Kids will be attending the Games 4 Health conference and showcasing one of the most exciting products in 2008 called the Lightspace Play developed by Lightspace Corp. Lightspace Corp, Motion Kids & Exergame Fitness have partnered up to bring the Exergaming community one of the most in demand products out today. The Lightspace Play will be available for everyone to try out and to see just what this amazing interactive piece can do for your facility.

For more information on the Lightspace Play Floor and Lightspace Play Wall please call 866.245.3036

or visit www.exergamefitness.com or www.motionkids.com.

More than 300 attendees are expected to participate in over 60 sessions held by an international collection of 75 speakers - the full line-up is now available on the website.

The Games for Health Project, which has produced the conference the past four years, has posted its agenda for the three-day event (pre-conference workshops on virtual worlds and health will be held on May 7th), revealing a diverse selection of meetings covering “the intersection of next-generation game technologies, health, and health care.”

"This conference provides a forum for collaborations to emerge between the video game industry and the health and health care industry," said Chinwe Onyekere, RWJF program officer. "Through these exchanges, we hope attendees will continue to explore how the power of video games can help to solve complex health challenges."