The gamification of fitness is a trend that has been gaining popularity over the past couple decades with fitness video games and virtual leaderboards. More recently, we’ve seen the marriage of fitness games with VR technology, but it goes as far back as the Nintendo Wii’s Wii Fit and Wii Sports series. Likewise, the PlayStation and Xbox consoles of the era also had their own fitness series’, and newer models have continued to follow suit. But do these have a place in a fitness regimen? The answer might surprise you as we’ll seek to explain in the following article.
PC: Victor Bordera/Stocksy
For the Fun of the Games
For the average person, the gamification of fitness can be a powerful motivator and used to make exercise fun. If fitness isn’t enjoyable, people are far less likely to start or stick with it in the long term. People far and wide also love good healthy competition, whether online with players around the globe or with family and friends in the living room sitting next to them.
PC: Emmanuel Dunand
Popular fitness platforms like Peloton even have leaderboards affiliated with all their classes. Peloton have developed their own “video game mode” of riding called LaneBreak, where riders’ workouts are scored and ranked. Before starting, riders also get to choose between five difficulty levels, adding another common video game element to the experience. As explained on the Peloton Support site “along the track, you will encounter various objects, called Moments. Moments are based on the workout goals and intensity of the song and require different cadence/resistance or speed/incline values. Score points by hitting target metrics while in the Moment”. If Peloton had a crossover episode with Guitar Hero, that’s a fairly spot on assessment of LaneBreak, although you aren’t expected to press down on the pedals to the exact beat of the music for the entirety of a song.
Wii Would Like to Play!
On the classic Wii Fit, common key health metrics are also taken into account such as BMI. Believe it or not, actual research studies were conducted on the use of Wii Fit and similar fitness games. These exercise modalities showed merits in clinical settings and places such as nursing homes, where participation allows those unable to perform daily rigorous activity to still increase heart rate and improve overall health.
In a study of 30 individuals with multiple sclerosis, Wii Fit demonstrated benefits over a 7-week period. They each completed the same Wii Fit program consisting of yoga, balance, strength and aerobic training, 3 times per week. According to this 2011 article, researchers reported that “all physical assessment scores moved in a positive direction at 7 weeks, providing some indication that overall fitness levels improved” (Plow & Finlayson, 2011). Wii Fit received praise for it’s accessibility, meeting participants where they were at, no matter their functionality levels. In addition, it helped promote weight loss and weight loss self-monitoring while improving strength and balance through core stability training.
Do Fitness Games Have a Place in Athletes’ Training?
While it by no means should be a cornerstone of your fitness program, the gamification of fitness can be a useful tool for those looking for a little extra motivation (something that can be hard to come by in the winter months) or for a little variety in cross training. No matter how hard you Wii Fit, it can’t replace the specificity of training. As runners, the general principle is if you want to improve at running, you’ll need to run more. For many, having a race on the calendar provides plenty of motivation. However, if wanting to climb up a few more spots on the leaderboard, improve that high score or health metric motivates you to train consistently, use them!
TLDR: The Gamification of Fitness
Especially for newer runners or athletes, gamifying fitness can give purpose to the training and allow you to recognize the progress that you’re making. In essence, it can provide a gateway to fitness for the beginner. Whether it’s as that beginner runner’s first step, or as means to improve quality of life and health in clinical settings, these tools have a place in the world of fitness and are here to stay.
References
Peloton Support. (Retrieved 2025, February 10). Peloton Lanebreak. https://support.onepeloton.com/s/article/4428892792596-Peloton-Lanebreak?language=en_US
Plow, M., & Finlayson, M. (2011). Potential benefits of nintendo wii fit among people with multiple sclerosis: a longitudinal pilot study. International Journal of MS Care, 13(1), 21–30. https://doi.org/10.7224/1537-2073-13.1.21
Brian Comer is a coach with Team RunRun based out of Portland, Oregon. His goal is to help you grow as a runner and a person through consistent training.