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Connected Health » Apps, Web Resources » Self Magazine: Will fitness and Facebook gaming work together?

Self Magazine: Will fitness and Facebook gaming work together?

workout-in-the-park

A new game created by Conde Nast (yep, the big fancy publisher) in the US aims to merge the worlds of Facebook gaming and actual fitness. But will that really work in practice when they sound like activities that are worlds apart?

Conde Nast title Self magazine is launching a new Facebook game this week called Workout in the Park, which will have both a virtual game playing element AND a real fitness element tied in.

In the next month or so a mobile app will also be launched too, which will further add to the experience and allow players to meet fitness goals, track progress and ultimately impact how their avatars act from within the game, which is a further interesting tie-in.

The game will allow you to do all kinds of things, like create your own park and avatar and play games to get onto different levels both online and offline. Conde Nast has interestingly hinted at sponsorship opportunities too, with custom branding of parks and clothes, we wonder if sports brands will want a piece of the action once the game gains momentum?

It seems strange that social gaming, which obviously involves little physical activity, would be linked so closely with a new fitness application, but it might just be what Facebook gamers need to get them out and about.

Laura McEwen, Vice President and Publisher of Self, said:

“Self Workout in the Park will have a profound effect on our brand footprint as the number of female gamers has grown exponentially, now representing 55 percent of the 98 million social gamers in the U.S.  Self is at the right place at the right time — the game is fun, funny, engaging, and captures women’s passionate interests in fitness, health, and wellness.”

Although McEwan is obviously more focused on what the game will do for the brand, we’re interested in seeing what it does for our attitudes towards health and fitness and whether other brands, developers and even individuals get in on the action and blur the online and offline fitness worlds in the future.

[Via All Facebook]

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