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Self Improvement Genre

Here are the genres we use. And below is a list of all out Self Improvement game coverage:

Alphabetical List

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z top

A
Active Health with Carol Vorderman DS
Activity Log Health and Fitness 3DS
All-in Yoga HD iPad
top

B
Big Brain Academy Wii
Bookworm Adventures Deluxe PC
Brain Training DS
Buying Best Fitness Game
top

C
Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles DS
Cheaper than the Gym
Cooking Guide DS
Cooking Mama Wii
Crossword Collection DS
top

D
Dance Central 360 Kinect
Dance Masters 360 Kinect
Dora's Cooking Club DS
Dr Kawashima's Body and Brain Training 360
top

E
EA Sports Active Wii
EA Sports Active 2.0 360
EA Sports Active More Workouts Wii
Everybody Votes Channel Wii
top

F
FGTV 2.72: Flipnote Studio and Colors 3D Get Children Creative 3DS
FGTV: Huge Handheld Battery Test 3DS
FGTV: Pokemon Typing and Pokemon Black/White 2 Hands-on DS
Flipnote Studio DSi-Ware
Fritz Chess Wii
Future of Exergaming
top

G
Gardening Guide DS
Garmin Forerunner 405 Gadget
top

H
Horrible Histories Ruthless Romans Wii
top

I
Imagine: My Restaurant DS
Imagine: My Secret World DS
Imagine: Teacher DS
top

J
Jamie Oliver What's Cooking DS
Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 Wii
top

K
Kinect Me 360 Kinect
top

M
Magic Made Fun DS
Math Blaster DS
Mind Your Language: French DS
MobiGo Mater's Tall Tales Vtech
MobiGo Tangled Vtech
More Touchmaster DS
Music DS
My Cooking Coach DS
My Do It All DS
My Fitness Coach Wii
My Fitness Coach Cardio Workout Wii
My Fitness Coach: Cardio Workout Wii
My French Coach DS
My Health Coach DS
My Secret Diary DS
My Spanish Coach DS
top

N
Nintendo Crossword Collection DS
Nutrition Matters Wii
top

P
Pass Your Driving Theory Test DS
Personal Trainer: Math DS
Personal Yoga Training DS
Picross DS DS
Playing Games Could Be Good For You
top

S
Seaquence Web
Sesame Street: Ready Set Grover Wii
Shape Builder iPhone
top

T
Tangled DS
The Biggest Loser Wii
The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout 360 Kinect
The Times Crossword Challenges DS
top

V
VReader Tangled Vtech
VReader Tokyo Mater Vtech
top

W
Walk With Me DS
WarioWare DIY DS
WarioWare DIY Showcase Wii-ware
We Cheer Wii
Wii-Fit Wii
Wii-Fit Plus Wii
Wii-Fit Plus Solus Wii
Wii-Fitness Round Up
Wii-Sports Resort Wii MotionPlus
Word Fu iPhone
top

Y
Yoga Wii
Your Shape Wii
top

Z
Zumba 360 Kinect
top

I
iWriteWords iPhone
top

J
jOG Wii
top

U
uDraw Game Tablet PS3
uDraw Tablet and uDraw Studio Wii

Self improvement games tap into the popular trend in exercise, workouts and therapy. Experiences as diverse as Brain Training on Nintendo DS and Wii-Fit on the Nintendo Wii have popularised the idea that games can be about more than just having fun - they can improve your brain, body and even mental outlook on life.

Fitness games are only recently becoming a genre in their own right. Previously, rhythm action games would cover these titles. With the release of the Wii and related peripherals however, a new Exergaming genre is emerging. Games that motivate you to exercise by making it entertaining, and tracking your progress, are usually intended to supplement existing exercise routines rather than replace them.

Educational titles combine the fun of play with the self improvement of education. As recent research and educational approach in schools shows, these two bedfellows work very well together. Titles usually consist of a series of mini-tasks around a particular subject. Some games in this genre simply use the topic as a theme for its games, whilst others are more obviously education or coaching based. They all track various stats from the player's performance each day. This enables the game to provide feedback and advice about their progress or lack thereof.

Health games provide both a means to record the health of your lifestyle as well as information on how to improve it. This instant feedback provides motivation to work towards long term health benefits that often seem unobtainable. Add to this the variety of interactive exercises and play experiences around the health theme and you have a package that is not trivial in the healthy living scene.

Colors 3D and Flipnote studio provide two great way to interact with the DS and 3DS beyond only playing games. In this week's FamilyGamerTV, we talk to a gaming family about the ways that they get creative - and even learn - using DS and 3DS software... watch now

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 Loading comments...

The Pokemon franchise produces some fascinating off-shoots. In this edition of FamilyGamerTV we look at Learn with Pokemon: Typing Adventure and Pokemon Black 2/White 2... watch now

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 Loading comments...

After our first battery test, we were asked about all kinds of other handhelds' performance. So, this week, we put an ever bigger range of handhelds to a real-world test and filmed the results on a time-lapse camera. We'd have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those pesky kids!.. watch now

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 Loading comments...

To say that I approached The Biggest Loseer with a helathy dose of skepticism would be an understatement. How can this be an Odyssey of any description?.. read now

Sun, 20 May 2012 Loading comments...

Playing games could be good for you. All work and no play makes Jack forget what it was he went to the supermarket for. And it makes him a bit unsociable, clumsy, and like a Monday morning, but all the time. .. read now

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 Loading comments...

uDraw Game Tablet and uDraw Studio: Instant Artist brings the popular drawing and alternative gaming pad to the PS3 and XBox 360 following its success on the Wii... read now

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 Loading comments...

All-in Yoga HD offers an accessible and cheap way to get into Yoga. Both my daughter and I have enjoyed the customisable routines and clear explanations... read now

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 Loading comments...

Zumba Fitness is like a Latin-American-flavoured aerobics. The Zumba website tells me it is "an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow... calorie-burning dance fitness-party... that's moving millions of people toward joy and health"... read now

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 Loading comments...

Kinect Me looks like it will bring a Windows Phone 7 rendering of your social world to the Xbox 360. It's a presentation popular on the iPad's Flipboard application and enables users to view their social content in a newspaper presentation. Add in hands-free controls and this looks rather interesting... read now

Sun, 22 May 2011 Loading comments...

Sesame Street: Ready Set Grover may sound like a franchise led game, but in fact promises to be another nugget of imaginative genius from Double Fine. The combination of their theatrical storytelling with Kinect-led gameplay is just as significant as the Sesame Street branding... read now

Sun, 08 May 2011 Loading comments...

Tangled DS does its story really well, rather than trying to add too much extra stuff. It was a little short, but I really enjoyed playing it and it felt like a real adventure... read now

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 Loading comments...

Activity Log comes pre-installed on the 3DS as a taste of fitness and exercise games on the new console. Battery life and physical footprint may need to be overcome, but the exercise tracking possibilities of the cameras and motion sensors more than compensate for this... read now

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 Loading comments...

Tokyo Mater VReader turns one of Mater's made up stories into a real fairy tale. Although more of a book than a game, I enjoyed reading it though quite a few times... read now

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 Loading comments...

Tangled VReader is an interactive Disney version of the hairy fairytales. It's a bit short but all the main bits are there and you can touch the words and pictures to see what they mean... read now

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 Loading comments...

Meter's Tall Tales MobiGo is simple, educational fun. Better than this though, it lets the very youngest players join in with the Pixar videogame fun... read now

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 Loading comments...

Dr Kawashima's Body and Brain is a stretch on Kinect, but what starts as frustrating soon emerges to offer a challenge that links mind and body... read now

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 Loading comments...

uDraw Tablet brings the DS's tactile interface to the Wii. A clutch of initial games prove the concept, but the real test is how well the peripheral will be supported with more creative uses... read now

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 Loading comments...

Tangled MobiGo misses out on the story but has very simple minigames so even very young players can play along... read now

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 Loading comments...

EA Sports Active 2 is another proper workout. The Kinect version freed me from the dreaded leg strap and for me was the easiest to use. It works because it's fun... read now

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 Loading comments...

Dance Central adds new downloadable tracks as it ups the ante for both dancers and dance games on the 360... read now

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 Loading comments...

More posts:

Nov 2010

Seaquence Web Review
Dora's Cooking Club DS Review

Sep 2010

Dance Masters 360 Kinect News

Jul 2010

Nintendo Crossword Collection DS Review

Jun 2010

WarioWare DIY Showcase Wii-ware Review
Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 Wii Review
WarioWare DIY DS Review
Flipnote Studio DSi-Ware Rough Guide

Mar 2010

My Fitness Coach Cardio Workout Wii Review
Music DS Review

Feb 2010

We Cheer Wii Review
Your Shape Wii Review

Jan 2010

EA Sports Active More Workouts Wii Review
Fritz Chess Wii Review

Dec 2009

Yoga Wii Review
Garmin Forerunner 405 Gadget Review
Crossword Collection DS Buying Guide
The Biggest Loser Wii Review

Nov 2009

Active Health with Carol Vorderman DS Review
Wii-Fit Plus Wii Review
Buying Best Fitness Game Article

Oct 2009

Wii-Sports Resort Wii MotionPlus Review
My Fitness Coach: Cardio Workout Wii Review
Wii-Fit Wii Review
Horrible Histories Ruthless Romans DS Review
Wii-Fit Plus Solus Wii Buying Guide

Sep 2009

Gardening Guide DS Review
Nutrition Matters Wii Review

Aug 2009

Horrible Histories Ruthless Romans Wii Review
Horrible Histories Ruthless Romans Wii Rough Guide

Jul 2009

More Touchmaster DS Review
My Cooking Coach DS Review

Jun 2009

Wii-Fitness Round Up Article
EA Sports Active Wii Review
EA Sports Active Wii Review
Walk With Me DS Review

May 2009

My Spanish Coach DS Review
Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles DS Review

Apr 2009

The Times Crossword Challenges DS Review
Pass Your Driving Theory Test DS Review
Math Blaster DS Review
My French Coach DS Review
My Fitness Coach Wii Review
jOG Wii Review
My Do It All DS Rough Guide
Word Fu iPhone Rough Guide
iWriteWords iPhone Rough Guide

Mar 2009

Personal Trainer: Math DS Review
Shape Builder iPhone Rough Guide
Imagine: My Restaurant DS Review
Mind Your Language: French DS Review

Feb 2009

Cooking Guide DS Review
Mind Your Language: French DS Rough Guide
My French Coach DS Rough Guide
My Fitness Coach Wii Review
Bookworm Adventures Deluxe PC Review

Jan 2009

Jamie Oliver What's Cooking DS Review
Future of Exergaming Article
Cheaper than the Gym Article

Nov 2008

My Secret Diary DS Rough Guide

Oct 2008

Cooking Mama Wii Review

Sep 2008

Imagine: Teacher DS Rough Guide

Aug 2008

My Health Coach DS Review

Sep 2007

Imagine: My Secret World DS Rough Guide
Magic Made Fun DS Review
Picross DS DS Review
Wii-Fit Wii Review
Big Brain Academy Wii Review
Everybody Votes Channel Wii Review
Wii-Fit Wii Rough Guide
Personal Yoga Training DS Rough Guide
Brain Training DS Review

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