When it comes to childhood obesity and inactivity, screen-based pastimes like video games often get a lot of the blame. But is it possible that video games could be part of the solution? That’s exactly what Kilian Saekel and the crew at #GetKidsMoving Inc. have been working to determine.
The California-based company’s newest innovation comes in the form of the ROXs, the first screenless gaming console, designed to exercise bodies and minds by stimulating kids’ intrinsic motivation to move.
The latest upgrade of the interactive gaming system, the ROXs 2s, released this year, functions using a durable, Bluetooth-enabled device that has sensors, emits sounds and projects multi-colored lights. Instead of game controllers, players interact with the device using eight guitar pick-shaped action pebbles, called PEBBs, which each have a different animal on one side. Printed on the opposite side of each PEBB is a QR code that players can scan on the surface of the ROXs to trigger or complete a variety of different functions.
The idea, Saekel says, is to make kids feel less like they’re controlling a character in a game and more like they actually are the character in the game.
ROXs 2s
$99playroxs.comFree app “Run Jump Play by A-Champs” available on iOS and Android.
Saekel says the system sets itself apart from other movement-based gaming modules like the Nintendo Wii console because kids actually get to perform the movements as they would naturally, instead of performing “artificial” movements simulated to correspond with the action on a screen.
Though the system’s corresponding app already has a couple of pre-set games kids can choose from, its customizable nature makes it easy for players to create their own games. We put our heads together with Saekel to formulate ways Chattanooga’s youngest (and most imaginative) residents could incorporate #GetKidsMoving Inc.’s technology into their next outdoor excursion.
» Climb like Lara Croft
Ready to discover your inner Tomb Raider? Head out to High Point Climbing Gym or your favorite bouldering spot and attach the eight PEBBs to different parts of the wall using tape. Tie the ROXs to your waist using the accompanying silicone strap, then imagine that the PEBBs above are ancient scrolls that you must collect and scan before the temple you’re climbing out of crumbles. Once your adventure is complete, try again to beat your recorded high score.
» Explore like Pokémon Trainers
Spice up your next camping or hiking trip with a quest to “catch ’em all.” Strap two or more friends with a ROXs device, then select the “Zoo” setting in the app. Once triggered, one of the ROXs will emit an animal sound, transforming the wearer into anything from a monkey to a frog. Chase after the player as he or she tries to escape while moving like the chosen creature. To make it tougher, toss a ball at the player during your pursuit; if it hits, the player becomes frozen for 5 seconds – giving you just enough time to tap their ROXs and “catch” the animal. Once the deed is done, the ROXs will immediately transform another player, and you can use your newly acquired creature to help you catch the next one by making a rule that the target must slow down if your new ally manages to tag him or her.
» Run like Super Mario
Create a backyard obstacle course or head out to Coolidge Park and get ready to save the princess. Strap each of your eight PEBBs high on some trees or poles, placing each one just a little out of reach, then use your imagination to turn each into one of the blocks marked “?” from the iconic video game. Compete against friends or yourself to see how fast you can race to the end of the course while leaping over obstacles and dodging set enemies. Each PEBB you manage to jump up and scan with your ROXs along the way serves as a “power-up” of your choosing, maybe allowing you to skip one obstacle or vanquish one foe blocking the path.
To watch a video of Get Out staffers playing some of the available games, visit getoutchattanooga.com.