By Richard Scarlett
So, the new craze this week is ‘Mallercise’ – or for the less hip among us, power walking while window shopping. Upon seeing this headline, I had to check that April Fool’s Day had actually been and gone.
But lo and behold, power-walking around shopping centres and marching up stairs and escalators is actually for real – some US manufacturers are even offering specifically modified shoes that promise “extra traction for smoother, slicker mall floors”.
Ridicule aside, this particular US-import got me thinking about how our perception of every day activites (in this case, exercise) is rapidly changing. Mallercise is just another example of the search for new ways to get that ‘just worked out’ look without actually having to grab a towel, throw on some sweats and hit the gym.
As such, it comes as no surprise to hear that glorified bathroom scale the Wii Fit is selling out at a head-spinning rate of 90 units per minute. Taking active-play to the next level, the Wii Fit promises to bring exercise to the masses and reinvigorate the console generation by adding fun to getting fit.
However, while Nintendo has been careful to stress the fact that Wii Fit should in no way be considered a substitute for real, outdoor, sweaty exercise, the boundaries between real and digital are definitely becoming more blurred. I’m sure there’ll be some of us who can’t help but rely on the console as neatly packaged Gym Replacement Therapy (GRT).
So is this a sign of things to come? Technology has already transformed shopping, networking, socialising and even dating – and there are very few things remaining that we actually need to leave our house to do.
While frankly any effort to get people moving is a positive one, I think the Wii Fit runs the risk of being taken too seriously as an alternative to the real thing. As the proud owner of a Wii Fit (yes, I pre-ordered), I’m in no way criticising this truly groundbreaking innovation – but as computer games increasingly try to replicate reality, the more careful we have to be not to allow technology to completely take over our lives.
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