QuirkyFusionEA Sports Active | QuirkyFusion

Party With Me at BlogHer ’09! (and try Word Whomp, too)

Christy — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:21:56 +0000

I am SO excited. I’m going to party with EA and you can, too! Last winter I got to attend a preview of EA’s line of video games. Imagine a club filled with stations of all the newest games to check out. If you’re not a gamer, this may not sound like a dream come true to you, but trust me when I say that it’s an absolute blast! And, of course, there were plenty of food and beverages as well. So much fun.

I was actually at the event to meet Kathryn Peck and Jen Riley of EA Sports. I was hoping to convince them to co-sponsor a party with me at BlogHer. If you’re not a gamer, the name “EA” probably didn’t mean anything to you prior to the release of the EA Sports Active. For those of us who loves games, though, EA represents some of the highest standards in gaming. I was pretty determined to convince them that they HAD to attend BlogHer in order to promote EA Sports Active to all of the phenomenal female bloggers. As it turns out, they were already bought-in to the idea of reaching out to female bloggers. It worked out well, since the blogging project I was working on fell through. Still, it was great to meet them and watch as EA Sports Active has taken the exergaming world by storm.

While at the EA event, I also met Honey Hamilton, publicist for Pogo.com (a division of EA). She cajoled me into playing some Word Whomp with her (try it below – you’ll get addicted, too) and I had a great time. When Kathryn let me know that Honey was looking for a blogger to sponsor to BlogHer, she didn’t need to ask me twice. Pogo.com is a perfect site for me to work with and Honey and I are probably a dangerous combination. She’s now convinced me to get a tattoo with her… and that’s before I have any alcohol in my system!

So here I am, with a fantastic sponsor and meeting my original goal to co-host a party with the great folks at EA. I feel very fortunate! Better still, if you’re going to BlogHer, you get to party with us (and the Wii Mommies!) as well. Set aside some time on Friday night from 7-10pm and head on over to the House of Blues. We’ll be there with food, drink and some of the newest and hottest offerings from EA. Space is limited, to make sure to RSVP as soon as possible. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.

Oh, and as promised… A mini version of Word Whomp!

Win an EA Sports Active and Join the 30 Day Challenge

Christy — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:47:50 +0000

This contest is closed. A winner will be announced shortly. Thanks!

The community EA Sports Active 30 Day Challenge is coming up on June 1. Don’t have your Sports Active yet? No worries. In honor of my birthday and the official launch of Quirky Fusion, EA Sports is giving one away to a lucky Quirky Fusion reader. Yay!

Read more about EA Sports Active for the Wii.

To Enter (once per person/household):

Visit my post on the EA Sports Active and exergaming. [Comments welcome, but do not leave your entry comment there!]
Leave a comment on this post (right down below) and tell me either one thing you like about exergaming OR your idea for a cool new exergaming title. You must follow this step in order to win.
Make sure you enter the correct email address so I can reach you.

Details:

Contest will end at midnight Eastern on April 30.
Winner will be chosen via random.org.
I will email the winner who will then have 72 hours to respond and claim their prize.
The Sports Active isn’t due to be released until May 19. The winner will receive theirs on or after that date, but before June 1.

Bonus Entries:

Subscribe to this blog (one)
Blog about this contest (one)
Tweet this contest (max 1 per day, up to 5 times)

To claim bonus entries, please post one comment on this post per bonus entry (include permalink or tweet url)

Questions? Contact me.

Join the EA Sports Active 30 Day Challenge

Christy — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:26:06 +0000

In February I blogged about EA Sports Active, a fitness “game” for the Wii. Since then, EA Sports has invited 12 people to take part in the Sports Active 30 Day Challenge. The Challengers, who range from celebrities to the mom-next-door, took part in a weekend retreat where they received health and fitness tips from Oprah’s trainer, Bob Greene. With their newfound knowledge and a copy of EA Sports Active, they’ll spend 30 days getting stronger and healthier and they’ll blog about it along the way.

Now, I was a tad bit jealous about the whole thing… who wouldn’t want to spa weekend away and some help creating personal fitness goals? And then I saw that their measurements are posted for all to see on the site and decided that I should be happy to just create my own spa-like action here at home!

The good news for the rest of us is that EA Sports is going to issue us a challenge as well (and it allows us to keep our stats private). The Sports Active 30 Day Community Challenge will start on June 1. You can pre-order your EA Sports Active today, or buy it in stores on May 19. Better still, you can win one right here on Quirky Fusion!

Will Exergaming Win Out? EA Sports Thinks So

Christy — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:27:31 +0000

Last week I had the chance to see a demo of the new EA Sports Active. The “video game,” which will be available (for the Wii) on May 19th, is designed to add to the exergaming genre. Exergames are video games that require physical activity, such as the Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolution. EA Sports active

Boxing with EA Sports Active Image Courtesy of EA Sports

takes exergaming to the next level by allowing the user to create customized workout routines that work the upper and lower body and employing resistance bands and a special thigh nunchuck holder to aid in the task. There are even plenty of cardio activities. You can do a ready-made workout, create your own, or take part in the “30 Day Challenge,” a series of 20 minute workouts that increase in intensity. EA Sports Active is expected to include a multiplayer option and some Wii Fit Balance Board compatibility. I can’t really do it justice, but the demo made me eager to try it out. That says something, since I hate working out!

While the Wii Fit pushed the envelope in the exergaming world, I believe that EA Sports Active might bring a new level of credibility in the field. I will, of course, reserve my final judgement until I have a copy on hand to try out, but here are some of the reasons why I believe exergaming is a great step towards slowing our obesity crisis in the US:

It’s fun
The exercise is guided, providing immediate feedback.
It’s less expensive than joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer.
It can be done in the convenience of your own home.
It can be done on your own time, even in the middle of the night (yes, oh wise balance board, I just may exercise in the middle of the night).
Getting a “score” or a certain measured result allows users to either work together towards a goal or challenge each other in a competition.
People can share the same workout experience without being in the same room or working out at the same time.
It’s easy to track your results over time.

There are, of course, some drawbacks. The biggest is the danger of injury that might occur if a person misunderstands the game instructions. Another that many people have experienced with the Wii Fit is the limitations on the experience due to the fixed nature of the software. In other words, once you’ve unlocked everything, and mastered it, there is little motivation to keep playing. EA Sports Active attempts to nip both of those in the bud. A virtual personal trainer gives detailed instructions for each exercise, as well as feedback on your form. Sure, you can still mess it up, but at least you’re starting with solid information. As for the limitations, they are still there, but with more than 20 different exercises, each available in dizzying degrees of difficulty and length, you can create nearly unlimited workouts. And, you can have them increase in intensity as you progress.

There are plenty of naysayers out there who seem to think that exergaming a gimmick. I say that it’s no more a gimmick than a gym membership, bike or exercise video. Not everyone has the time or money to head to the gym every day (ever try taking a couple of toddlers to the gym? yeah, didn’t think so) and not everyone enjoys the same types of activities. Exergaming isn’t going to be the best option for people who are already extremely fit, but it is another way of motivating those who need more exercise in their lives. Bring it on, EA Sports Active! Let’s see what you’ve got!