The Weight Watchers program is designed precisely like a role-playing dungeon crawler. That's why people love it, stick to it and have success with it. And it points to the way that we could use game design to make life's drudgery more bearable. [...] Weight Watchers' points function precisely like hit points; each bite of food does damage until you've used up your daily amount, so you sleep and start all over again. Play well and you level up — by losing weight! And the more you play it, the more you discover interesting combinations of the rules that aren't apparent at first. Hey, if I eat a fruit-granola breakfast and an egg-and-romaine lunch, I'll have enough points to survive a greasy hamburger dinner for a treat!

Not to say that his point is b.s., but many things in life can be equated to an RPG or other form of a video game. When I got going in amateur standup comedy, I really perceived my progression in terms of a video game. Start out as a novice. Play these venues. Stay within your time. Achievement unlocked: 7 minutes in a Rooster's open mike. I'm sure lots of you have seen goals and processes in your own lives in the same way.

So the fact a gaming mentality could be applied to dieting doesn't strike me as odd. The question though: does an unpleasant, difficult goal become easier if you consciously approach it as a game? (For example, nothing billed as "nutritious and delicious" ever gets eaten.) Or should its "game" aspect be more subtle?

Fun Way to Lose Weight: Turn Dieting into an RPG [Wired]

The suit, filed on July 16 and obtained by Game Daily, is seeking at least $26 million from Ubisoft for breach of license agreement and continued damage.

That money is meant to make up for the licensing fees ResponDesign was expecting from Ubisoft as well as the royalties.

Ultimately, ResponDesign says that Ubisoft "from the outset failed to diligently pursue development of the game, ignored the terms of the license agreement and acted in bad faith." After a while Ubisoft told ResponDesign that the game wouldn't be ready until first quarter of 2009 and the publisher also complained of missing assets. Ubisoft also told ResponDesign in July that it would be changing the name of the game to Yourself!Fitness in the U.S. and Go Fitness in Europe; it was no longer in the "My Coach" line. As of the filing of the suit, Ubisoft has not done any marketing or PR surrounding the game.

We've contacted Ubisoft for comment and will update when and if they respond.

Yourself!Fitness Developer Suing Ubisoft for 'No Less' Than $26 Million [Game Daily]

The star of NBC's reality show The Biggest Loser says she's "a huge gamer" and hopes (via press release) that the Wii game will accomplish something just shy of saving the world. Michaels is corporately quoted as saying "I truly think this type of product will be instrumental in revolutionizing the fitness industry and will help combat the childhood obesity epidemic in this country today."

See? Nintendo totally should've stuck with "Revolution." Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter predicts big things for Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009, and not just amongst the chubby crowd.

"That thing is going to sell," said Pachter. Not all consumers might be aware of what Wii Fit is, but most weight-conscious women, he said, know Jillian Michaels as a brand. "She's branded as a fit person who helps people lose weight," he said, and that brand affinity could help more people see the Balance Board as less of a video game gizmo and more of a health product.

It certainly sounds like more of a workout than managing a trio of hula hoops, as the game is pitched as having Weight Loss, Strength Training, Intervals and Hill Climb modes, each with three difficulty tiers and workout times up to 60 minutes. It features more traditional exercise options like crossing monkey bars to climbing ladders and rowing. The best part? Gamers can unlock "lifestyle and fitness video tips" featuring Ms. Michaels. Rowrr!

We expect to see nothing but six-pack abs and ripped shoulders in close proximity to Wiis by this time next year.

McAndrew seems to have left her Lara days behind her, though, as the announcement makes no mention of her role as one of the first Tomb Raider models. Shame, because I'd love someone to promise me I can look like Lara Croft. I mean, Nell McAndrew is pretty and all, but come on! Lara Croft!

Anyway, for those who might've been wondering what McAndrew has been up to lately, full announce after the jump.

GET FIT AND FEEL FABULOUS WITH NELL MCANDREW'S BODY FITNESSFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AMA announce the launch of Nell McAndrew's Body Fitness- a truly unique mobile lifestyle companion. This advanced application helps the user detox their lifestyle and encourages them to look at a healthier outlook by guiding them through a simple agenda and fitness plan. Initially the user is asked to complete The Fitness Plan quiz to determine what type of workout and nutrition choices will work best for them and their lifestyle. It then works with them to devise an effective workout routine from a vast exercise database, containing a wealth of different options including aerobics and cardio as well as vital warming up and cooling down techniques. The Agenda works alongside the exercises by helping the user plan their meals with handy options such as a one month diet plan and a calendar to chart progress and increase productivity. Throughout the application the user is offered detox advice and tips from Nell McAndrew. Nell McAndrew started her career modelling and is a well regarded celebrity health and fitness figure through her string of successful fitness workout releases, high-profile charity associations and modelling. She famously launched Cancer Research UK Race for Life 2008 flanked by thousands of other women in London's Regent's Park whose training outfits were painted on their bodies. Nell comments:"Environmental factors and busy hectic lifestyles mean some people haven't the time to assess how they could be leading a healthier life. Your mobile goes with you everywhere- so by using this simple application, you can have me in your pocket or bag, encouraging you to get fit and feel fantastic whilst on the go. There's no excuse now!" "We strive to deliver not only unique and interesting content to the user, but also subjects which can have a positive effect on people's demanding lives. We developed Nell McAndrew's Body Fitness to be a mobile lifestyle companion, to enhance the user's fitness and to teach them how to lead a more positive and healthier life," says Christian Guillemot, CEO of AMA. Nell McAndrew's Body Fitness is available in the UK from this month.

The event will take place at the Children’s Aid Society’s Dunlevy Milbank Center Boys & Girls Club, New York and inclide a chance to play DanceDanceRevolution UNIVERSE 2 on the Xbox 360 for free. Supermodel Christie Brinkley and health expert and physician Dr. Carlon Colker will both be on hand to kick things off.

Boys & Girls Clubs in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Seattle will also be hosting similar Family Fitness Day events, though none of them will be getting a super model on hand.

“Making sure that my children stay active and healthy is my top priority,” Brinkley said. “My children and I love to find new and exciting ways to get up and get moving, and playing games like ‘DanceDanceRevolution’ on Xbox 360 lets my kids have fun and get fit at the same time. And I have to admit, I have a blast playing it too.”

The event is happening the week before Wii Fit takes over a part of Central Park with their own fitness expert: Ashley Borden

Hit the jump for the full Microsoft release:

Xbox 360 and Boys & Girls Clubs of America Team Up for Inaugural National Family Fitness Day
Families nationwide encouraged to join the “DanceDanceRevolution” to promote healthy living.
REDMOND, Wash. — May 6, 2008 — Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 is teaming up with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) to celebrate the inaugural National Family Fitness Day on May 12. National Family Fitness Day is a free, fun-filled event designed to promote healthy and active lifestyles for children and families. The key fitness activity will be playing “DanceDanceRevolution UNIVERSE 2” on Xbox 360. To help encourage families to get involved, supermodel, health guru and mother of three Christie Brinkley and health expert and physician Dr. Carlon Colker will commence the activities at the Children’s Aid Society’s Dunlevy Milbank Center Boys & Girls Club, New York.

On National Family Fitness Day, select Boys & Girls Clubs will participate in this after-school event by playing “DanceDanceRevolution UNIVERSE 2” on Xbox 360. This activity, coupled with healthy tips provided by Dr. Colker, will showcase how families can connect with each other and exercise in a way that is fun. Also on this day will be a fun, collaborative competition among participating Boys & Girls Clubs aiming to reach the goal of 500 participants and 18,000 calories burned while playing “DanceDanceRevolution” on Xbox 360. Boys & Girls Clubs in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Seattle will all join in to start a new revolution.

“We are proud to partner with Xbox 360 for National Family Fitness Day, which showcases the fact that getting fit can also mean having fun,” said Roxanne Spillett, president and CEO of BGCA. “Playing active games like ‘DanceDanceRevolution’ on Xbox 360 not only encourages kids to get in shape, but also helps bring families together and enhances Triple Play, our existing health and wellness program.”

“National Family Fitness Day is all about keeping kids and their parents active and healthy,” said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Playing ‘DanceDanceRevolution’ on Xbox 360 is one of many ways families can get up off the couch and have fun together.”

“Making sure that my children stay active and healthy is my top priority,” Brinkley said. “My children and I love to find new and exciting ways to get up and get moving, and playing games like ‘DanceDanceRevolution’ on Xbox 360 lets my kids have fun and get fit at the same time. And I have to admit, I have a blast playing it too.”

Colker, who has trained top-tier professional athletes, recognizes the health benefits that “DanceDanceRevolution” on Xbox 360 can provide, and in addition, he offers the following health tips for families:

• Shop healthy and cook at home. Buy fresh, perishable and unpackaged foods whenever possible. If ingredient contents sound too complicated, it is probably not a healthy choice. Get the whole family involved in meal preparation. It can be fun time spent together, and it is certainly healthier than fast-food alternatives.
• Check out your local community center. Places such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America offer great physical activities for children, including soccer, baseball, swimming and physical video gaming such as “DanceDanceRevolution” on Xbox 360. The supervision is top-notch and the cost is reasonable.
• Keep tabs on your physical activities. Whether it is having a family activity list on the refrigerator, or even setting the Family Timer on your Xbox 360 so that you know when you have hit your activity goal, keep track of your activities and reward progress.
• Keep a structured bedtime. You cannot expect your kids to have an active lifestyle if they are tired all the time.
More about National Family Fitness Day, the great health benefits of playing “DanceDanceRevolution” on Xbox 360, additional healthy family tips from Dr. Colker, and information on the Xbox 360 Family Timer and parental controls can be found at http://www.Xbox.com/familyfitness.

Nintendo plans to have a slew of Wii Balance Boards on hand to do live demos and for everyone person who goes through the demo, Nintendo will make a $5 donation (up to $25,000) to the American Heart Association.

The event will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Merchants' Gate in Central Park, at the intersection of Central Park West, Central Park South, Columbus Circle and Broadway.

The Wii Fit party will also double as a celebration of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, which happens to be in May.

Thanks to YouTube, we even have a clip of the product in action:

Oh, but before all the fanboys freak out, we just wanted to clarify that we realize Jackie Chan didn't really invent Wii Fit's Balance Board. That honor goes to Amiga.

Jackie Chan's take on Wii Fit [Siliconera]

These statistics are all based upon a 160 - 170lb person, so my guess is that they will be a little naturally inflated over teen stats.

Walking (4 mph) - 6.1cal/min
Bicycling (10 mph) - 7.8cal/min
Jogging (5 mph) - 11.5cal/min
Basketball (full court) - 13.2cal/min

So if you are playing on standard or above, you really aren't doing too badly.

Ace Fitness PDF [via I4U][Stats from CoolNurse]

Oh sure, she points to games that require physical interaction, say Dance Dance Revolution and Nicktoons Movin' Jellyfish Jam, as being heavy calorie burners, but I suspect ulterior motives. My guess is that she spent two hours in line to play Manhunt 2 as it was intended.

Moving Beyond Joysticks, and Off the Couch [New York Times]

PlaySmart

Commencing Oct. 1, 2007, PlaySmart rolls into schools all over Los Angeles County. Billed as a unique educational program from STAR Inc., PlaySmart uses existing and popular games as a means of teaching school age children skills such as problem solving, technological familiarity, objective thinking, literacy and other right and left brain exercises.

PlaySmart employs games such as Dance Dance Revolution™, Pokémon™ TCG and various other video games to enhance instruction in physical education, literacy, group dynamics, team building and positive gamesmanship.

STAR Inc., a 501 (c )(3), charitable non-profit organization's mission is to offer extended educational, recreational and enrichment programs to students; support and enhance school curriculum; improve student achievement; and expand the cultural base of young people through innovative, quality programs offered by highly qualified instructors.

We've all heard the stories about people using Wii Sports as a workout tool, but personal trainer Zander Urquhart of Glasgow, Scotland is taking Wii fitness to new a new level. He has started offering classes that utilize the Wii as a workout machine. He started off by offering the classes fro kids, but then saw the popularity quickly spread to adults as well. Up to four people can participate in each class and according to "University Studies", players could burn up to 125 calories in a fifteen minute session. Mr. Urquhart is purportedly the first person to use the Wii in this manner, but I doubt he will be the last.

Nintendo should really consider marketing a "Wii Fitness" series. Wii Pilates, Wii Aerobics, Wii Weight Lifiting. It's a potential goldmine just waiting to be tapped into. What I'm waiting for though is Wii: Sweating To The Oldies featuring a Richard Simmons Mii that barks out orders at you while wearing Dolphin shorts that are two sizes too small. Flynn De Marco

A WII WORKOUT [Daily Record - Thanks, Craig]

Ben Kuchera has an excellent article posted over at Ars Technica, in which he tackles a subject that has been on everyone's mind since the release of the Wii, that being gaming and fitness. Unlike the Wii Sports Experiment, Kuchera avoids the Wii itself, opting for more fitness oriented games like Dance Dance Revolution, Yourself Fitness, and to a lesser extent, Eyetoy Kinetic. He adjusted his diet and worked out using the games for 45 minutes a day, 4 days a week, for two months. I don't want to spoil the result, but let's just say he did not gain weight.

I'd suspect the adjusted diet has a great deal more to do with the weight loss than anything. You'd be amazed at home many calories some of things we eat and drink. I myself lost nearly 50 pounds earlier this year simply by taking a walk every day and switching to diet soda. Of course I gained half of it back after I started writing for Kotaku, but the extra weight just makes e that much more cuddly. Michael Fahey

Gaming your way into better shape [Ars Technica]

Playing Wii Sports not only helps you lose weight, but makes you shorter and your pants bigger. Suburbia at WiiNintendo.net began what he calls the "Wii Sports Experiment" in December. He blogs:

I outlined a 6 week game plan for myself, the idea being that I would continue ALL normal activity and eating habits, and simply add 30 minutes of Wii Sports to my day. For the past month and a half, I've stuck to these guidelines very strictly.

One stray Wii-mote swing and six weeks later, Suburbia ended up nine pounds lighter, lost 2 percent of his body fat and lowered his heart rate! Which games dropped the most blubber? He burned an average of 92 calories during a 15 minute round of Wii Tennis and an impressive 125 calories with Wii BoxingZ in the same period. He also achieved "Pro" status in Tennis, Bowling, and Boxing. Well done. Brian Ashcraft

Wii Diet [WiiNintendo]

It'll be interesting to see how this turns out, though as some commentors on his page have already pointed out it really isn't all that scientific without taking into account the food you eat and other activities. I'm just overjoyed that I didn't end up having to do it. Hooray for sloth! Michael Fahey

Wii Sports Experiment [WiiNintendo.net, via Hot Shot Gamer]

This meat puppet I walk around in? Not only do I want a refund, but I can't believe the amount of upkeep it requires to work properly, including exercise... something I hate doing because it's just plain hard. As far as I'm concerned, the sooner science can extract my brain with a mashed-potato scoop and slap it into a super-sexy, non-degrading cyborg body with a prehensile penis, retractable machine gun turrets growing out of triple-D breasts and a Wii disc slot directly interfacing with my brain, the better.

But that's a few years off. In the meantime, Tim Tucker has tried to make physical fitness more exciting to flabby Jabbas like me by melding Tetris with weight lifting. Apparently, you sit in a chair and use a series of pulleys connected to weights to shift the Tetris pieces from left to right and rotate them.

It is, of course, an absurd idea, but no more absurd than the bloated, farting sack of gelatin with which my soul somehow became infused. Worth a shot until those cyborgs come around. Florian Eckhardt

Tetris Weightlifting [Official Site]

Game Set Watch has a great post up summarizing the personal connections a lot of people feel towards Maya, the peppy virtual fitness instructor from Yourself! Fitness. A lot of people tend to think of Maya as a real person. Although I would normally consider such people out of their fargin' gourds, I actually understand this, because Yourself! Fitness helped me get in shape.

Last year, I spent an entire winter floating like some alcoholic fetus in a huge vat of Guinness, nourishing myself and growing larger and larger through the absorption of the dark, creamy embryonic fluid in which I subaqueously dwelled. When spring arrived and I finally burst through the keg's placenta, it was time to get in shape.

So I spent thirty minutes every day gaily prancing about my kitchen as Yourself! Fitness virtual trainer Maya shouted peppy slogans at me. "How did you feel about that last set?" she'd ask me every once and a while. "My heart just exploded," I'd respond. But Maya could always put the best face on anything: "Good! That means you're challenging yourself!"

I owe my svelte, sexy frame to Maya. And even though she's just a polygon, I have a great deal of fondness for her. In making me suffer and work for my goals, I actually do find myself sort of thinking of her as a real person from time to time. A real person whose sublime, spandex-sprayed ass I'd gnaw off my arm to spank just once FLORIAN ECKHARDT

Yourself! Fitness - A Diary To Greatness

The New York Times looks at the curious success of digital physical trainers like Maya in Yourself!Fitness. The notion that digital personal trainers can use artificial intelligence to adjust your fitness regime is pretty fascinating. Whether or not you get off your behind and do what Maya tells you is another matter, I suppose. Who said video games weren't good for you?

Pop Them In, and They're Ready to Push You [NYTimes] (Registration Required)