Navy Weighs in on Video Games to Whip Recruits into Shape

The Navy has frequently been seen in the headlines? for?advancements
made from using hardware technology to get its aircraft?and?fighting
vehicles into shape; it may now turn to software technology to
get its newest recruits in motion and out onto the playing
field.Navy officials are weighing in on using interactive
video games like the Nintendo Wii and Dance
Dance Revolution
to help new enlistees build up endurance and get past boot camp.??
There is a growing concern that those who are currently enlisting
require more work to get into shape than was needed with past
recruits.? Officials are attributing it to a more sedentary
lifestyle.Recent
studies indicate that the Wii has little effect on family fitness,
but that has not stopped the Navy from heavily considering the
possibility of using interactive games in the training of its
recruits.???According
to the Navy
Times,
Navy Surgeon General Vice Adm. Adam Robinson believes that most young
people prefer computers and video games to sports and other physical
activities.? Using interactive video games, in conjunction with
traditional training could help new recruits when it comes to
endurance, Robinson said.
"There
are lots of programs now that people can [use to] become very
physically active while they're using interactive computer games,"
said Robinson. "So, in other words, this isn't about [starting]
with computers and stopping [everything else] — because we're not
going to do that. This is about incorporating those types of
activities into something that people can use to become more
physically active."
Robinson added? that there has been an issue in terms of physical
fitness.? More new recruits are injured in basic training
because they are not used to the amount of standing and running that
is required and they have found that women in boot camp suffer more
bone injuries than in the past, Robinson said.
"There
have been more fractures and femur fractures and long-bone fractures
in some of our young female recruits, and that's related to the
amount of activity and a sedentary lifestyle that they've had
before they've entered the service and then the uptick in physical
activity after they're in the service."
The
plan is still in the early stages and there is no timeline set for
video game use in basic training.

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