''EA Sports Active: Personal Trainer'' is a

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by EA Canada for the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

console. It was released on May 19, 2009 in North America. The game ships with a strappable pouch to hold the

Nunchuk is a traditional East-Asian martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately (sticks) and (rope). A person who has pract ...

and a

resistance band A resistance band is an rubber band, elastic band used for strength training. They are also commonly used in physical therapy, specifically by convalescents of muscular injuries, including Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, cardiac rehab patients, t ...

. The game is the first in a line of ''EA Sports Active'' branded games and related peripherals. An expansion, ''EA Sports Active: More Workouts'', was released on November 17, 2009. A follow-up, ''

EA Sports Active 2 ''EA Sports Active 2: Personal Trainer'' is an exercise video game developed by EA Canada. It was released on November 16, 2010, in North America for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. The Xbox 360 version makes use of Kinect Kinect is a d ...

'', released in November 2010. An

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

-themed version, '' EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp'', was released on the same day.

Gameplay

''EA Sports Active'' is an exercise game consisting of activities that use the

motion controls In computing, a motion controller is a type of input device that uses accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, or other sensors to track motion. Motion controllers see use as game controllers, for virtual reality and other simulation purposes, and ...

of the Wii platform. Primarily played using the

Wii Remote The Wii Remote, colloquially known as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with an ...

, the game package includes a pouch that allows the player to strap the attached Nunchuk to their legs in order to track their lower body movements. The

Wii Balance Board The is an accessory for the Wii and Wii U video game consoles. Unlike the usual balance board for exercise, it does not rock but instead tracks the user's center of balance. Along with ''Wii Fit'', it was introduced on July 11, 2007, at the Elec ...

is also supported but is not required for play. The game features a number of exercise options supervised by a virtual

personal trainer A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, providing m ...

, including 20 minute workout regimens and a 30 Day Challenge mode that lets players set workout goals, such as calories burned or a number of sessions while tracking their progress over time. The idea is that the weight loss will happen on its own if the calories burned goals in each workout are met or exceeded. The game also awards trophies for reaching specific fitness landmarks, such as accumulating 10 total workout hours, working out with a friend, and completing all the exercises in the 30 Day Challenge. Players are also encouraged to create a custom workout session built around either personal favorite exercises, calorie goals (such as burning 100+ calories in one session), or targeting specific body areas. To help aid in creating a balanced workout, a percentage chart displays how much of the routine is devoted to either upper body, lower body, or cardio development. The intensity of the workout can be altered by changing the difficulty levels of either a single exercise or the entire routine.

Development

EA Sports' Peter Moore claims that ''EA Sports Active'' was developed to focus more on a higher-impact "Western" philosophy of exercise focused mainly on weight loss, compared to a lower-impact, stretching and balance based "Eastern" approach, as taken by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

's ''

Wii Fit is a 2007 exergaming video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It features a variety of yoga, strength training, aerobics, and balance mini-games for use with the Wii Balance Board peripheral. Designer Hiroshi Matsunaga ...

''. EA also saw a strong business opportunity in creating a game for people who need to work out yet do not have the time or are not comfortable doing so in public. Celebrity personal trainer

Bob Greene Robert Bernard Greene Jr. (born March 10, 1947) is an American journalist and author. He worked for 24 years for the ''Chicago Tribune'' newspaper, where he was a columnist. Greene has written books on subjects including Michael Jordan, Alice C ...

was involved with developing the game.

Reception

''EA Sports Active'' has received generally positive reviews from video game critics and the mainstream media. One of the biggest critiques on EA's community message boards about the game was the lack of real resistance offered by the supplied elastic band. Many found that folding the band over itself as suggested by the game's tutorial to be ineffective in increasing the resistance level. However, the supplied grips for the elastic band can be used with other elastic bands, specifically those used in

pilates Pilates (; ) is a type of mind-body exercise developed in the early 20th century by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates, after whom it was named. Pilates called his method "Contrology". Pilates uses a combination of around 50 repetitive e ...

, in order to increase the intensity of all upper body exercises. EA claims that ''EA Sports Active'' has sold over 600,000 units worldwide between May 19, 2009 and June 1, 2009, and 1.8 million units in its quarter. It is EA's best selling Wii title. The lack of an option to switch to left-handed has caused discontent for some left-handed users who have purchased the game as this is not advertised on the outer packaging.

More workouts

After the success the game received, EA Sports released an expansion pack on 17 November 2009, titled ''EA Sports Active: More Workouts'', which, as the name suggests, added several new workouts to the existing program.

References

External links

Official ''EA Sports Active'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ea Sports Active 2009 video games EA Sports games Electronic Arts franchises Electronic Arts games Fitness games Multiplayer and single-player video games Video games developed in Canada Wii Balance Board games Wii games Wii-only games