WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION RECOMMENDS ACTIVE VIDEO GAMES TO STAY HEALTHY DURING PANDEMIC

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues, many of us have been forced to stay at home to practice social distancing. But rather than spend all of this time sitting around watching TV, the World Health Organization (WHO) has a recommendation: active video games. Staying active is critical to keeping our health, especially when many of us can no longer visit the gym as (as they’re closed in many regions).

What WHO recommends

WHO posted an image on Twitter with a list of activities that can be done at home without needing to go outside. The activities include more traditional forms of exercise like exercise classes, dancing, jumping rope, etc. But one recommendation stands out to we gamers: active video games.

This suggestion proves quite unusual of WHO as only two years ago they officially declared gaming addiction as a mental health condition. The picture included on their post shows a Wii remote. This is because the Wii console is best known for its motion-sensing games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit. Many more games exist beyond this console that would allow you to become more active daily.

Games you can play

To start, the Nintendo Switch retains much of the Wii console’s motion capabilities. This means you can play games like Ring Fit Adventure, released October 2019. If you don’t already have the game, then it’ll be something of a problem to locate. The game is sold out at all major stores and third-party sellers are gouging at more than $250 for the game.

Still, don’t despair. There’s more titles that can help you remain active and at a reasonable price. One title is the ever-popular Just dance series. The game sells digitally for $39.99 and requires no additional accessories. The most recent release, Just Dance 2020, is available for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and even the Wii.

Here are some other games that will help you stay active:

• Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved (Xbox One, Xbox 360 — Kinect required)
• Pokemon Go (iOS and Android devices)
• FRU (Xbox One — Kinect required)
• Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo Wii)
• Super Mario Party (Nintendo Switch)

Meanwhile other games are offering in-game bonuses to help keep you occupied during your time stuck at home. For example, World of Warcraft is offering a 100% EXP bonus for the next month to help make the grind more tolerable.

Recommended activity levels

The World Health Organization has additional recommendations as part of staying active and healthy at home. Both adults and children should try to engage in physical activities for at least 30 minutes daily. If you play more stationary games (like sitting in front of the TV with your console or at your desk with a computer), regularly check your posture and take breaks by standing up and moving around.

It may be boring being stuck at home as we practice social distancing. But we can still make video games an engaging and stimulating part of our daily activity.

Do you have any other ideas of games that would help folks stay active? Sound out in the comments below with your suggestions.

Ryan Goodrich

Ryan has been writing since long before he could even write. He's written resumes, software user guides, consumer electronic reviews, and myriad web content spanning a variety of industries. But now he's writing about video games, which is much more interesting.

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