How does playing games at ‘bootcamp’ help you get fitter?
Gamification!!
Gamification is becoming all the rage at the moment, certainly in business circles, and some suggest that if your not a ‘alpha type’ go getter person, that gamifying your life can work wonders (1).
So what is Gamification and why do we use it during our Bootcamps (outdoor fitness) at MFT?
Defined as:
The application of typical elements of game playing at bootcamp (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, …..to encourage engagement with a product or service.
“gamification is exciting because it promises to make the hard stuff in life fun” (2)
If I could pull out one word from the definition, it’s a small one, and it’s the one that underpins the whole point of Gamification and why we use it…. FUN
Gamification is used to get people engaged in something when other more traditional avenues have failed. We all know that exercise, while it can be enjoyable, is something most of us need a little help and motivation with, after all that’s why you’ve come to a bootcamp, or sought out a trainer. What better way than to play physical games while you’re there.
But, there is a more considered and scientific element to all this, not just the, “play games it’s fun” element.
Game play can trigger feelings of satisfaction, success and achievement, all of which can trigger those feel good endorphins. At our Bootcamps we’re giving you the double whammy of endorphins, exercise and games. (Perhaps why Pokemon Go is so successful).
The source of these endorphins is dopamine, a brain feel good chemical, that also makes us seek out more of these experiences (3). So not only do you get the feeling of pleasure at bootcamp, you’re also motivated to carry on, it’s a clever trick, we know.
Dopamine, which is often associated strictly with pleasure, has a much more complex role in the body. Research by Dr. John Salamone showed that dopamine’s role is multi-faceted and includes not just pleasure but also motivation. (1)
There are two other main positives for us when using games at bootcamp too.
Firstly is the distraction, you’re not really working out, right? Well, that couldn’t really be further from the truth, a study on cyclists using a video game as distraction during a test actually worked harder and had far more enjoyment, but with no more perception of effort than the non distracted group (4).
Secondly, as this is one of the key elements to the way we train you, trying to achieve exercise tasks through games can sometimes be much easier than just being told how to do it limb by limb. Many times a trainer will try and get someone to do a basic movement such as a squat. If you’ve ever done ballet or been a dancer trying to change from a plié to a gym squat can be really difficult, but turn it into a game of ‘can you put your bum on the floor’ and suddenly an image comes to mind and the task is overcome. We may even give you a reward if you do it well enough. Can’t do a pull up, no problem, just try and travel across these monkey bars. Move your body as it wants to move, in three planes and overcome tasks your way.
At MFT we want to get you moving and get you fit. Fun and games are the way we like to do it, come and join us and see how much fun it is.
Rich
Head of Research
MFT Global
1) Games and Your Brain: How to Use Gamification to Stop Procrastinating by Kevan Lee
2) gamification
ˌɡeɪmɪfɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
noun: gamification
3) Dopamine modulates effort-based decision making in rats.
Bardgett ME, Depenbrock M, Downs N, Points M, Green L.
Behav Neurosci. 2009 Apr;123(2):242-51. doi: 10.1037/a0014625.
PMID: 19331447 Free PMC Article
Monedero J, Lyons EJ, O’Gorman DJ.
PLoS One. 2015 Mar 4;10(3):e0118470. doi: 1