EXERTAINMENT

Life Fitness, 1994–1996. Fitness equipment wired to a Super Nintendo, so the workout drove the game.

RoleInteractive Specialist
CompanyLife Fitness
Timeline1994 – 1996
ScopeGamified Fitness · SNES Integration · Front-End
The Exertainment logo, a Life Fitness exercise bike wired to a Super Nintendo, and SNES game screens including a Mountain Bike Rally select screen and box art.

01 · The Idea

I helped build Exertainment at Life Fitness — a system that wired the 16-bit Super Nintendo to fitness equipment, so the workout drove the game. Pedal harder and the Tetris blocks fall slower. Mountain Bike Rally, Speed Racer, and Tetris were all modified to run on the SNES Exertainment expansion unit.

02 · Why It Was Hard

In the mid-90s the overlap between people who played video games and people who worked out was very small — the whole premise was ahead of its audience. And the hardware had to survive a gym: bolted to equipment, used all day, by everyone.

03 · While I Was There

I also taught myself HTML and built the first company website for lifefitness.com.

The first lifefitness.com website, a mid-90s HTML page with the Life Fitness logo and links to the Lifecycle, treadmill, stairclimber, and Exertainment products.

Find the new tool, build the thing, ship it — the same instinct that runs through everything since. More of it on the early-work page.

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