i.play for Waddington?
The 10 June Public Meeting at Clifton Primary School and will include a video demonstration of the i.play so that residents can see how it works and the health benefits it can bring. There are currently only two i,play systems installed in the North West and none in Lancashire.
Delia Hamer, Chair of Friends of Waddington Park explained “a quarter of all UK children are now estimated to be clinically obese, making this the defining health issue of our time. The i.play system – the next generation of playground equipment - is designed to improve fitness, co-ordination and agility and we think it would be of huge benefit to the children who live around the Park.”
The i.play takes Wii-style physical gameplay to a new level. It works by using the videogame method of issuing the player with a sequence of instructions or tasks which must then be completed by physical activities. These tasks, issued via an embedded LED screen, involve single or multiple players running, jumping and twisting to interact with special ‘activity switches’ situated on the i.play system. The result is a whole body, high energy and, most importantly, fun work-out for all involved.
The i.play system is based on research conducted by playground equipment specialists, Playdale and Loughborough University spin-out company, Progressive Sports Technologies (PST). The research highlighted the role that ‘stealth fitness’ (physical activity which is enjoyable enough not to feel like a chore) plays in keeping children to a healthy weight. It also advocated using videogameplay strategies as a solution, as the immediate, frequent feedback and goal-setting that characterises electronic gaming was found to increase adherence to exercise.
Playdale spokesperson Barry Leahey explains: “To date a lot of the attention on child obesity has focused on ‘making’ children do sixty minutes of exercise a day, rather than on how we can make that hour of physical exertion fun. Despite our best intentions, this means we’ve taken an ‘eat your greens’ approach to encouraging exercise, which is rarely the best way to win an argument.
“Today’s children define ‘fun’ differently to their parents and grandparents. Whereas children thirty years ago were sent outside with a jam sandwich and a football, nowadays they’re more likely to be confined indoors with a Playstation 2. This means we have to find a way of combining this technology-centred idea of fun with physical exertion. Remember that children are meant to play because it’s enjoyable – not because it burns calories.”
The i.play system has been designed with the full rigours of the playground in mind and is robust enough to be vandal resistant. Although developed for a core 8-14 age group, the i.play system is suitable for adult involvement and use by wheelchair users as well as visually and hearing impaired players. Actions are dictated by audio and visual commands from the central LED console and the activity switches themselves.
High, mid and low height activity switches ensure a whole body aerobic workout that helps build muscular strength, stamina, co-ordination, reaction times and agility. The i.play system provides players with a gamescore which they can then register on the i.play website- www.iplayweb.com.
Barry concludes: “Developments such as the i.play system represent our best chances of persuading today’s children that exercise is something to be enjoyed rather than endured. Teaching them to associate physical effort with positive feelings will also arguably lead to benefits in other areas – particularly in sport. After all, if we want 2012 medal winners we will need to raise a generation of Roger Blacks rather than Bridget Joneses. The i.play system could well be the start of a happier, healthier future for thousands of children.”
Residents will have the opportunity to comment on the i.play as well as all other aspects of the Waddington Park masterplan at the Public Meeting at Clifton School, from 3.00pm on the 10 June.
