Kinect Rush will Get Your Kids off the Couch

Over 87 percent of today’s U.S. youth plays video games, which is creating increased parental concern. With terms like “video game addiction” permeating our culture, more parents are paying closer attention to their children’s gaming habits. So, at a time when parents are carefully monitoring their children’s gaming activities, ready to strike at the first sign of compulsive behavior like militant vigilantes waiting for their patrol, I’m going to recommend a video game for children? Absolutely.

In the past 32 years, the number of overweight children in this country has tripled, and even more concerning is the fact that the heaviest children surveyed were noticeably heavier than children in prior surveys (http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/child_obesity/). Childhood obesity is a significant public health problem that can spiral out of control if we don’t get our children moving and active, and that’s precisely where “Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure for X-Box 360” which is a game for the Microsoft Kinect system comes in.

“Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure for X-Box 360” is a motion-driven adventure game that does more than entertain your kids with action-packed escapades; it delivers a full-body workout. Through use of an astonishingly innovation combination of software and cameras, the Kinect infrared sensor gathers information about its surrounding environment and creates a 3-D representation of the player, turning his body into the game controller. Unlike the Wii hand-held controller, you can’t deceive the Kinect infrared sensor with a few fancy hand gestures. If you want to play a Kinect game, you have to get up and move.

Whether playing alone or teaming up with friends, “Kinect Rush” allows players of all ages to motion-control their favorite character from one of five Disney-Pixar movies. Players can run, jump, fly, drive, and climb their way through adventure sequences inspired by Disney-Pixar movies, including “Cars,” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “Toy Story,” and “Up.” As an example, to make a character run players must jog in place, moving their arms back and forth and lifting their knees in proper jogging stance.

Each film contains three separate adventure sequences; with the exception of “Cars” that only offers driving activities, the sequences offer a variety of movement activities and problem-solving games. The wonderfully creative sequences take approximately five minutes to complete. While a total of fifteen adventures may not seem like much, as players successfully complete adventure sequences, they unlock new abilities and characters from the films, making play different and entertaining.

One of the hallmarks of a lasting video game is that it has a great story, and that’s where Disney shines. In “Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure for X-Box 360” characters from some of our most beloved Disney-Pixar films are re-imagined and brought to life in a truly interactive video game. Disney has managed to successfully blend motion sensor technology with storytelling to create a unique experience that actually helps in the fight against childhood obesity.

If you’re still concerned about how much time your child spends playing video games, it’s important to note that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping children’s time spent using technology to one or two hours of quality programming per day. With its interactive motion-controls, I’d say “Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure for X-Box 360” fits the bill of quality programming perfectly. What do you think?

About the Author:

Tyler enjoys being physically active and integrating physical activity into gaming is a fun way to get moving at least.

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