Has Fitness & Gaming Reached A New Level?

Gamification is a terrible word. Anybody that works in advertising will know that, along with ‘thumb-stopping', ‘snackable’ and the phrase ‘what’s our Fearless Girl?’ it draws feelings of bitter indignation and contempt.

But is there merit in the term, particularly in the world of fitness? And with the recent releases of Ring Fit Adventure on Nintendo Switch and Zwift entering the running world, do we finally have a handful of brands ready to take the fitness world by storm?

So what do we mean by the word ‘gamification’? Oxford Languages define the term as “the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product/service.”

Giving an example sentence they aptly go with “gamification is exciting because it promises to make the hard stuff in life fun”. In terms of running and more broadly, fitness, this is perfect. It makes the hard stuff fun. So if you’re not feeling that run today, or can’t be arsed to do that fitness routine, a gamified experience supposedly makes it more enticing.

In the advertising industry, Nike Fuel Band is the holy grail of gamification in that it revolutionised personal fitness, awarding points for activity which could unlock achievements, be shared with friends, or could be used to engage others in competition.

But for other brands looking not only to gamify the fitness experience, but make it more immersive and story-led, they will need to contend with previous flag-bearer Wii Fit. The iconic game saw households across the land stand on their balance boards trying not to launch controllers into their TVs, all in the name of getting that long awaited ‘beach bod’.

Now there are new kids on the block. Nintendo have since launched Ring Fit Adventure. A Switch game where players explore a fantasy adventure world trying to defeat a bodybuilding dragon and his minions using real-life exercises, with the help of a ‘Ring-Con’, a hula-hoop-like device that can be stretched and compressed, and a Leg-Strap to measure movement.

This isn’t the first time a brand has tried to create an immersive story to encourage exercise, with smaller scale mobile apps such as Zombies, Run! in which players are en-route to one of humanity’s last remaining outposts, escaping a Zombie apocalypse by completing various running missions.

Ring Fit Adventure is of the same ilk. Speaking to pro gamer Frankie Leeks of Team Parallel, he praised the story of the game and its intensity saying it can and has ‘destroyed’ players physically when he has played. With gyms renowned for being dull and lacking fun, Nintendos first attempt on their Switch gaming device is definitely a step in the right direction.

Another recent innovation in home fitness is Zwift, Where you can “run with a fun, global community through immersive worlds.” and “train day or night, rain or shine, from anywhere in the world. And it’s supposedly FREE. All you need is a treadmill (£400+), a Zwift-compatible device such as a TV or iPad (£400+) and a cadence tracker (£30). Hmm.

Despite the price of the various components you need, Zwift’s aim is gamify the running experience and take the indoor run into the virtual world. You can also run in groups, which could be an ideal solution to lockdown at the moment. But however fun it looks, I fear the advert I keep being served on Youtube does overpromise, with a beautifully projection-mapped room and national treasure Mo Farah at the helm.

Whatever the success of more immersive fitness experiences such as Ring Fit Adventure or Zwift, it will be interesting to see if they can maintain attention given the short-lived hype of Wii Fit. With gaming technology vastly improving in the last decade, success will be down to how creative companies get with storylines and features. At first glance they’re an awesome entry-level alternative to the gym or running in the street, but could also be ideal for rekindling joy for those fitness freaks that have lost a little passion.