14 DAY TRIAL // The United States Department of Health and Human Services, the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, the Entertainment Software Association and a number of representatives from video game publishers have launched the Active Play Presidential Active Lifestyle Award, an initiative designed to create more video games based around healthy lifestyle choices in the near future.
Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Konami, Sony, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft and Nintendo have signed up to the new initiative and have plans to integrate the principles of Presidential Active Lifestyle Award into their video game projects.
Drew Brees, who is a co-chair of the organization and NFL quarterback, has stated, “The President's Council and ESA recognize the need to embrace technology in the fight against childhood obesity.
“Through the Active Play PALA+ Challenge, we are motivating kids and families to adopt a healthy lifestyle by using active video games to achieve PALA+.”
Michael D. Gallagher, the president and chief executive officer of Entertainment Software Association, added, “Active and fitness games are one of the most exciting and fastest growing segments of our industry and millions of kids and families have enthusiastically embraced them as a way to get fit and stay healthy.
“We are proud to work with the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition on this innovative initiative and encourage all Americans to embrace active games as part of a healthy lifestyle.”
The video game companies have agreed to create: tools to help kids and their families monitor and evaluate their fitness levels and their daily activity; tracking tools that will allow for various schools and communities to compete with one another and methods to deliver information from the Presidential initiative to gamers.
There are a number of titles already on the market, starting with Wii Sports, that claim to help players keep healthy and reach their fitness goals, but their efficiency has not been proven in the long term.