Cheesesteaks vs. PlayStation showdown
Will frequent use of the PlayStation EyeToy:Kinetic game chisel my formless flab (left) into a sleek, muscular, body-ideal (right)?
Following our poll that asked readers to rank themselves on a scale of skinny to obese, I'm conducting an experiment to assess the potential for games to have a positive influence on a gamer's health.
I'll be using an EyeToy: Kinetic for the PlayStation 2. The marketing hype for the product promises a "Body by PlayStation" via a "full-body fitness program like no other." I'm testing that premise with a $500 wager. Read on for details.
I'm skeptical that the EyeToy workouts are going to do anything for my beer-, pizza-, and cheesesteak-fed body. Heck, I'm a 30-year-old student in a full-time MBA program where weekly pub events are considered part of the core curriculum, so I've got that going against me. Plus, I'm in Philadelphia, a city that frequently ranks in the nation's top three fattest cities. I've gained 20 pounds in the seven months that I've been living in Philly. My waistline's fat, but my chances are slim.
I'll blog about my progress periodically as I endeavor to take the pounds off. I'm not going to be changing my beer-and-cheesesteak lifestyle, but I will dedicate at least four hours per week to the EyeToy for the next three months, starting March 12. Maybe the game will prove to be so boring that I'll give up. Maybe it'll work. Maybe they'll eventually release the laser-hair-removal attachment that will complete my transmogrification into the hairless wonder pictured in the advertisements. Then again, maybe I'll fail miserably, destined to remain a fatty forever.
To motivate myself, I'm going to offer a prize. If I fail to drop 25 pounds, then I'll give $500 of my own money to one of the Joystiq readers ranked in the top 20 list at right as of June 15, 2006 (selected via a roll of the d20). In other words, I've set a goal to lose 25 lbs. If I fail to achieve that goal, then I lose $500 to one of Joystiq's most active (and valuable) contributors.
Current weight: 200 lbs
Target weight: less than or equal to 175 lbs
Primary mode of exercise: PlayStation EyeToy: Kinetic
Judgement day: June 15, 2006
Height: 6'
