MMO Exercise? Running Through World of Warcraft on a Treadmill
MMO Exercise? Running Through World of Warcraft on a Treadmill
August 26, 2008
While running your character on a long trek through your favorite MMO, have you ever imagined how great it would be to get so much exercise in real life?
The marketing site for Mana Energy Potion has posted a fascinating account of how two WoW players connected treadmills to their PCs and used their own 6mph locomotion to power their avatars:
We decided on a run from the gates of Shadowglen, through Dolanaar, to the sentries of Darnassus. We took level 1-2 elves so there would be a real danger that we'd get attacked along the way...
I'd first like to point out that Eli is in quite good shape. I, however, am not... We thought it would be a good representation of the gamut of gamers if we both ran the race. We donned the cheapest heart monitors we could find for kicks...
Eli and I stayed pretty even throughout the whole run. But about 3 minutes in, my heart rate reached over 205 BPM, and my max is around 195 BPM. I had to slow down to a walk because I thought I was going to pass out. Running in WoW is no joke...
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Posted 11/18/08 at 07:45pm
Chuma: Furthermore, he is instigating nonesense, you have to expect reactions from people when his first comment is insulting Parents
Chuma: Furthermore, he is instigating nonesense, you have to expect reactions from people when his first comment is insulting Parents
Posted 11/18/08 at 07:43pm
Chuma: Not suggesting you delete the comments, I am suggesting you stop him from being able to post any more.
Chuma: Not suggesting you delete the comments, I am suggesting you stop him from being able to post any more.
Posted 11/18/08 at 07:42pm
Andrew Eisen: To be fair, I'd have to delete comments from both sides and I don't want to spend all day deleting comments.
Andrew Eisen: To be fair, I'd have to delete comments from both sides and I don't want to spend all day deleting comments.
Posted 11/18/08 at 07:42pm
Shadow D. Darkman: *facepalm*
Shadow D. Darkman: *facepalm*
Posted 11/18/08 at 07:40pm
Andrew Eisen: Chuma - I'm leaving such comments stand unless they get really nasty. Why? Because of similar comments by other posters.
Andrew Eisen: Chuma - I'm leaving such comments stand unless they get really nasty. Why? Because of similar comments by other posters.
Posted 11/18/08 at 07:38pm
Chuma: I think if JT is just going to post comments calling people retarded, that perma-IP-ban needs sorting asap
Chuma: I think if JT is just going to post comments calling people retarded, that perma-IP-ban needs sorting asap
Posted 11/18/08 at 07:18pm
Leet Gamer Jargon: Or as Stephen Colbert said in his book: "Agnostics: atheists without balls".
Leet Gamer Jargon: Or as Stephen Colbert said in his book: "Agnostics: atheists without balls".
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:50pm
sqlrob: @Chandra: By those definitions, Dawkins, author of "God Delusion" is agnostic
sqlrob: @Chandra: By those definitions, Dawkins, author of "God Delusion" is agnostic
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:43pm
JDKJ: "Belief can kill and belief can cure" -- West African proverb
JDKJ: "Belief can kill and belief can cure" -- West African proverb
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:41pm
Michael Chandra: Agnostic: "a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience."
Michael Chandra: Agnostic: "a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience."
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:41pm
Michael Chandra: Atheism according to dictionary.com: " the doctrine or belief that there is no God."
Michael Chandra: Atheism according to dictionary.com: " the doctrine or belief that there is no God."
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:16pm
Larington: http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27935/Suicide-game-sparks-latest-Flash-controversy
Larington: http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27935/Suicide-game-sparks-latest-Flash-controversy
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:15pm
sqlrob: @Flamespeak: Currently it's not "inconclusive", it's "unnecessary"
sqlrob: @Flamespeak: Currently it's not "inconclusive", it's "unnecessary"
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:15pm
Flamespeak: I need booze and a bed. Goodnight all.
Flamespeak: I need booze and a bed. Goodnight all.
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:14pm
sqlrob: @A-wel Cruiz / Flamespeak: I doubt very much there are any atheists by that definition, none rational anyway.
sqlrob: @A-wel Cruiz / Flamespeak: I doubt very much there are any atheists by that definition, none rational anyway.
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:13pm
Flamespeak: Course, I am an illogical Taoist. :-P
Flamespeak: Course, I am an illogical Taoist. :-P
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:12pm
Flamespeak: It is the only decision I can see anyone arrive at. The equivalent of 'Inconclusive"
Flamespeak: It is the only decision I can see anyone arrive at. The equivalent of 'Inconclusive"
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:12pm
Flamespeak: Agnostic, on the other hand isn't a religion. It is pure logic based.
Flamespeak: Agnostic, on the other hand isn't a religion. It is pure logic based.
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:12pm
Flamespeak: Agnostic, on the other hand isn't a religion. It is pure logic based.
Flamespeak: Agnostic, on the other hand isn't a religion. It is pure logic based.
Posted 11/18/08 at 06:11pm
A-wel Cruiz: Agnosticism is the only one that really welcomes arguments on the manner.
A-wel Cruiz: Agnosticism is the only one that really welcomes arguments on the manner.
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Comments
There's no way I could run through the WoW world on a treadmill
I remember seeing this done with Quake 2 but on an exercise bike
Man, if I knew this was news-worthy I'd have blogged about my experience doing the same in Age of Conan. I used a gamepad in conjunction with Pinnacle Profiler to run my character while I biked for an hour or so a day. It made my wife happy, got me exercising, and kept my game playing to reasonable levels.
I like the concept, but I hate the sponsership. As RealLifeComics have already pointed out, anything with 6667% of your daily recommended intake of B12 in it can't be good for you.
You have to remember that the group that makes those recommendations have no clue what they are talking about...
Ok, I gotta say: THIS IS SO COOL! :)
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
Nightwng2000 has also updated his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/nightwing2000 Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl
I've thought of doing the same thing, but I don't have the cash to attempt it. I don't know if I could even jog from one side of Thunderbluff to the other. I'm a programmer. Until I learn to type with my toes and become twice as productive, my legs are only used to carry me from my chair to my 'fridge.
Mad props to these two guys, though, for wanting to see what it's like to have to hoof it through WoW.
Can anyone teach me how to hook up my treadmill to my pc?
They actually give a bit of a instructional on how they did it.
GlovePIE sounds pretty cool too. It mentions it can be used with rowing machines as well.
I suspect if one has plenty of money, one could buy and program a more advanced treadmill that was designed for PC connection. Many medical treadmills have that capability.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
Nightwng2000 has also updated his MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/nightwing2000 Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl
205 BPM? Yeah right! Even if you are running away from a murderer at full speed for a good amount of time, your heart beat would max at 180 BPM. If you reach 180 BPM, that would kill you right there.
Um.. Not really. Im not in very good shape, and when I exercise hard by running on a treadmill or playing football, my heart monitor routinely peaks at 205-215. Its not good for me, but as you can see, Im not dead. Lol. Im sure up in the 250-260 range would be pushing death, but not 200.
I've been over 200. Boy, that was fun -_-
Incorrect. According to your age and weight, your "max" heart rate can very but unless you are in shape and younger than 20, 200 is not healthy if sustained.
Go running on a treadmill for an hour, keep a good jog and monitor your heart rate, it is fairly easy to get it way up there if you are not in the best shape.
Ok this is full of win! Now if someone figures out how to allow for making character actions this is just... Epic! I hope this idea is taken further.
-Loudspeaker
"Volume helps to get a point across but sharp teeth are better."
I have been contimplating modding an excersize bike to power a generator running my computer. That way, if I want to use my computer at home, I have to get some excersize in the process.
E. Zachary Knight
http://www.editorialgames.com
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
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Good luck. I've seen something exactly like that at a museum you had to to pedal really fast to power a small black and white TV (although it did work, I remember pedaling really fast and seeing a resee's commercial).
if im not mistaken, this will make a lot of potheads that play that game forced to quit if they have to run on a treadmill... it ruins the game for me! but i cancelled my account anyway!
Jesus Jack Jones Thompson told me to do it!
It's just like rock paper scissors. Excercise > Potheads > Jack Thompson.
...how does JT beat excercise?
By running his mouth so much he burns more calories an hour than these folks did?
Does anyone have any more detailed information on how to set a system like this up? Is it possible to make it less strenuous, so that say a retired parent who loves WoW could use it? How expensive is the equipment for something like this?
i so want to do this. i run on a treadmill and use an exercise bike all the time. if i could videogame with a these it would make it a hell of a lot eaiser
One of the keys to excercize is to find something you'll keep doing and ways to keep it itneresting. If you aren't havign fun and aren't interested you won't do it, so, thisis a good idea.
I had a similiar thought, one of the reasons I want to stop on treadmills and bikes etc is it's so monotonous, bobbing up and down staring at a wall. It'd be way better if you were cycling through the grand canyon, running along a Norwegian glacier; or weightlifting on the moon (600lb benchpressing here I come!)
I think it's a great idea! I would definitely buy (and, more importantly, USE) an exercise machine if I could hook it up to my favourite games.
This was so funny.
I would die just running from the Valley of Trials to Sen'jin Village.
When will the first racing game that uses treadmills appear?
At first I thought it was a pretty epic idea, but that was because I assumed they were going to do something like a lap around the world or from one end of a continent to the to the other. But a 5 minute jog O.o
Seriously m8s, ditch your cars and ride a bike!
Woah this actually looks like a cool idea although how would you play the game?
Setting up a DDR mat to WoW would be ultra cool....
run, run, run
attack, 1, 2, 1, 3, 4
run, run, run
This is extremely cool... However! I would probably pass out after trying to make it through the Barrens.. :D
What a fun idea. It also would solve the problem of characters having identical running speeds. On the other hand, way to lure players even further away from Real Life.
I've been trying to do something similar using two Wiimotes, a DDR pad, or Nintendo Wii-Fit to control my character in Age of Conan.
Check out my blog, I will be posting scripts as I update it. Feel free to contribute, I'm sure this could be ported to WoW.