Our Favorite Video Game Workouts
We are all #StayingHomeFor the vulnerable people we love in our life during the coronavirus pandemic. Our daily routines, like heading to the gym, have been upended. Exercise has become one element of life we’ve needed to reestablish as we’re adjusting to our new normal. While many people have been able to make it outside to center themselves and keep their bodies healthy, sometimes the weather doesn’t permit, schedules can be difficult, or motivation just isn’t there. Thankfully, there are a number of engaging and fun games out there to get our rears in gear!
Beat Saber
One of the hottest VR releases to date, Beat Saber follows in the vein of Rock Band and Guitar Hero but replaces musical notes with virtual sword strokes that players perform using the motion controls. The result is a distinctive, arm-based dance to fun music that can have players hooked (and breaking a sweat) for hours at a time.
Wii Sports
While not everyone has a VR setup for Beat Saber, there are nearly 50 million Wiis in circulation in the United States. Packaged with most of those consoles was Wii Sports, a fantastic motion-controlled collection of mini-games that could be played solo or with friends and family. While some of these, like golf, might not be especially taxing for most people, it’s enough to get everyone moving together.
Just Dance
A yearly release since 2009, plus many spin-offs, Just Dance has been a reliable exercise game for over a decade now. Players hold onto the controls and do their best to mimic dances to a variety of pop music tunes. It’s a simple, straight-forward concept that tires just about anyone out when treated as a workout.
Dance Dance Revolution
The original king of exercise games, Dance Dance Revolution or DDR rose to popularity in the arcades of the early 2000’s. DDR relies on the player tapping arrow panels with their feet in time with the music and arrows appearing on screen. For many, finding the rhythm of the music and adding flourishes to the game’s moves became an art form. A sweaty, sweaty art form.
Ring Fit Adventure
With the motion technology in the Switch, Nintendo decided to try taking exercise games to the next level. Ring Fit Adventure is an RPG where players perform attacks against various monsters, move through the world, and complete various challenges by making different movements using the console’s Joy-Con controllers and the accessories included with the game. The game proved to be so popular that shortages of the title have been rampant since its release. The game also received a rhythm mode update which allows players to do exercise routines to the beats of various Nintendo game soundtracks.
Life Time Online Classes
We love our friends at Life Time who have shown a deep commitment to fundraise for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. They’re offering wonderful online exercise classes for free at the moment. Although these classes don’t require any gaming consoles, they’re a great option for any gamer seeking to add diversity to their exercise routine while #StayingHomeFor the vulnerable members of society.
Don’t forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!