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| The PCGamerBike stock image in all its glory. |
So maybe it doesn't look like much. But I have high hopes this will be the key to finally getting in shape, using the only hobby I've consistently loved since I was 12.
Gaming.
And especially, MMORPG gaming (massively multiplayer games, like World of Warcraft). I admit to being a bit of an MMO addict. Not to the extent that I've lost my job and am living in my Great Aunt Mildred's basement subsisting on pork beans in a can, my only monthly bill paying for the fiberoptic internet connection. No, I haven't fallen quite that far.
But I have been known to take a week of time off work for the opening of a new MMO. Or to play 16-hour marathon sessions on the weekends in search of a particularly desirable piece of loot (curse you Zul'Gurub.. curse you.)
So back to the story. How is something that looks like a cross between a stationary bike for oompa loompas and a paintball gun (what is that hole on the back for?) going to help me get in shape, while still indulging my World of Warcraft (and Lord of the Rings Online.. and Final Fantasy XIV..) addiction(s)?
Well, Observant Reader, notice the coiled USB cord next to the bike. Yes, that plugs straight into a PC. And translates forward pedal-motion and backward pedal-motion into two distinct keypresses. (Translation - you can pedal forward and send the 'forward arrow' to the game, moving your character forward. You can also switch to pedaling backward and send the 'back arrow' to the game, moving your character back).
So you're getting the basic idea. Pedal around Azeroth while lounging in an armchair and controlling the forward/back movement with your feet, and turning, spell casting, etc with the standard keyboard and mouse controls. But is it really a workout?
Since I just ordered it and it's not yet here, I'll post more detail and personal experience when I get to try it out first hand. But what made me finally decide to buy the machine is that it offers a 'toggle' buttonpress when you hit a certain speed. This can be matched up with the walk/run toggle button in games like World of Warcraft. So, for example, you can set the bike to toggle 'walk' until you hit 10mph on the bike, and then toggle to 'run'. This provides an incentive to actually pedal with some energy, and from the reviews I've read translates pretty fluidly into WoW. If you get absolutely worn out, you can pedal as slowly as you want, and you'll continue forward at the 'walk' speed till you speed up again. (Anyone who has played WoW knows how aggravatingly slow that 'walk' speed really is... I use it to swagger around Dalaran when I get new armor, and for not much else.)
So how awesome is that? I speed up pedaling - my character speeds up. I slow down - my character slows down. I go backwards - my character reverses. It actually sounds fun. And this is coming from someone whose idea of daily exercise is taking the 3 flights of stairs up to her apartment.
The resistance on the bike can be set as well, so in addition to controlling the speed you pedal at, you can make it harder or easier to reach a set speed. From the online reviews it seems the higher resistance levels are enough for a good workout for semi-fit people, so I suspect it will be plenty for me.
With all the hype around 'exergaming' since the DDR craze and more recently, Wii Fit, I was really surprised this kind of system hasn't been getting more press. On Amazon it has 4 reviews. There are a few reviews from gaming sites when it was released in 2007, mostly positive. A feature on 'XPlay' with Tony Little (that leads to a dead link on the G4TV site). And not much else.
So have I just been bamboozled? Swindled by the promise of fun and exercise combined into one glorious activity? Blinded by the promise of losing weight while farming for those pesky Justice Points? By the idea that I can play WoW for 4 hours and then tell people I biked 50 miles (and maybe not mention half of that was running in terror from dragons)?
Maybe, maybe not. But that's why I'm creating this blog - to provide more information about the PCGamerBike system, its pros, cons, quirks, ways to set it up for maximum MMO gaming enjoyment, as well as quantitative metrics: weight lost, miles biked, and (approximately) hours played. Yes, I will post weekly on how much weight I lose each week biking through WoW. I do not intend to change my diet, or to set specific hours to play - my only 'rule' is, if I want to play WoW or any other MMO... I'll be doing it on the bike.
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