February 19th, 2010
Run, walk or even STAND away from the chair - it's a dangerous item!
Beginning with the ground breaking studies by Dr. James Levine and NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) we started to become more aware of the fitness genius of getting out of our chairs on a regular basis throughout each day. http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/levine_lab/ It was that awareness that lead to both FootGaming and Exerlearning over the past decade.
January 28th, 2010
I hope to rely on the advice from experts in the field, especially the brilliant team that presented at last year's 2009 Casual Connect in Seattle to determine "what's a brain game?" Hopefully, Kanal Sarkar of Lumos Labs, Ted Spooner of Respondesign, Michael Cole of Fit Brains, Colin Garvey of CogniFit, Amy Jo Kim of Shufflebrain, and Alvaro Fernandez of SharpBrains will take a look at what I am working hard to accomplish here and add some insights. The difference between "learning games" and "brain games" and off the shelf select leisure games is clear. When it comes to the effect these various genres have on the brain - when connected to physical activity like FootGaming is not so clear. here is an example:
January 24th, 2010
Stand and burn 33% more calories, FootGame and triple that!
Recent research from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation confirms what we already understand, simply standing instead of sitting can help you burn 33% more calories in a day. One of the inspirations behind the development of the FootPOWR as an activity-driven computer mouse was the need for all of us to add more activity to "screen-filled" days. When we stand and move - even a little bit - calorie expenditure increases rapidly. An active Footgaming session of a Bejeweled, Mahjong or even Solataire can go a long way in turning our weight-loss corner.
November 3rd, 2009
Tetris and Your Brain: FootGaming Greatness
Play Tetris with your feet! Fitness and brain power fun.
October 10th, 2009
What School Wants to Be a Millionaire?
This economic climate, the enormous budgetary challenges K-12 schools are facing and the worrisome state of PE and youth fitness may actually be the perfect storm for some cool solutions. There are a series of articles on examiner.com that lead to this week's story on "What School Wants to be a Millionaire."
August 26th, 2009
Casual Games Revive Employees - With Two Feet and a Frog!
FootGamers in the workplace are celebrating the new office policy on casual games. When there is a FootPOWR peripheral driving the gameplay, instead of the conventional mouse - everyone's happy.
August 10th, 2009
First Stop on Footgaming World Tour
FootGamers from age 12-46 gathered at the Cat 6 video lounge in Bend, OR last Sunday for the first stop on the FootGaming Tournament Tour. We will be looking for great sites for more tournaments. Contact us if you'd like your site to be considered.
July 18th, 2009
World Premier FootGaming Tournament at Cat 6 Video Lounge
In a dark noisy room full of Rock Band, WoW, Mario Brothers and all things XBox we found the perfect spot to launch our World Tour of FootGaming Tournaments. The place is Cat 6 in Bend OR, the date in August 6-8 and the buzz is growing.
July 17th, 2009
FootPOWR launch at Casual Connect (Seattle) July 23
FootGaming LLC has developed a new sort of peripheral for PC and Mac, the FootPOWR. See it in action at http://www.footgaming.com/Family You simply plug the FootPOWR into a computer’s USB port, stand on the mat and move your feet to move the cursor or to input specified keyboard input. Any computer can become an exergame console in minutes.
May 4th, 2009
Word and reading fun - learn with your feet!
Spelling worksheets and reading assignments rarely get kids laughing and energetically clamoring for more - but we've seen it in action. At McCall Elementary in Oregon, 4th graders who are usually challenged by reading and spelling elect to practice before and after they do their conventional assignments at the desk. Take a look at them in action with a word-building game called Bookworm Adventure (PopCap).
March 18th, 2009
FootGaming Meets Wounded Warriors Program
East Carolina University - Greenville, NC - Under the creative leadership of Carmen V. Russoniello, about once a week a handful of Marines travel from Camp Lejeune's Wounded Warrior Barracks to a lab at East Carolina University. There they are strapped with sensors that measure stress via perspiration, body temperature and heart and brain rhythms. They are taught methods of controlling anxiety, such as breathing techniques or thinking of pleasant topics. Included in the activities is the addition of select casual games from PopCap (www.popcap.com). We recently spent the day with Dr. Russoniello and some of his program participants to add one additional tool to the interventions - FootGaming!
