Exergaming a new trend?

A few new youth fitness franchises have sprung up around the world which incorporate kids’ fitness with video games – the aim being to try and turn around the issues of childhood obesity.

NexGym keep kids moving through video game inspired workouts.  Not dissimilar to the Canadian Bulldog Interactive Fitness or Colorado’s XRKade.

NexGym has virtual reality inspired workouts which are geared to the interests of children aged 6-14.  Video games are wired to fitness equipment, making the experience both mentally and physically active.  Kids can race bikes through lunar landscapes, sharpen hand-eye coordination with intergalactic hand-to-hand combat, or participate in virtual pro sporting events.  They also offer interactive classes in sports, dance, karate, yogo etc.

Bulldog Interactive Fitness is designed for kids aged 3 and up and works with PS2 game bikes, Dance Dance Revolution machines, simulated mountain-climbing treadwalls, circuit equipment etc.

XRade pulled together an advisory board of kids 9-16 to design its exergames.  Its fitness centers feature virtual cycling, snowboarding, climbing, dance, tae kwon do etc.

Currently most of these are US/Canada based, though XRade is reporting that it will open soon in China.

When You Can’t Leave: Designing for the Flight Reflex in Airports, Venues, and Hospitals

When You Can’t Leave: Designing for the Flight Reflex in Airports, Venues, and Hospitals

In high-stimulus public spaces, our bodies do more than react – they strategise.
Airports, hospitals, and stadiums all evoke subtle “Flight” responses: scanning, pacing, early exits.
Understanding how threat appraisal drives behaviour can help architects and planners design calmer spaces – and reveal why relaxation, not excitement, predicts dwell, spend, and satisfaction.

The Last Ten Minutes of Luxury

The Last Ten Minutes of Luxury

Guests pay for days yet remember minutes. The peak end rule explains why a stay often lives or dies on one high moment and the day of departure. What works, what fails, and how to design the arc so memory carries your brand home.