Fitbit’s latest wearable, christened the Charge 2, has a secret game which can be accessed only after completing the day’s preset tasks. It seems Fitbit is bent on taking the carrot and the stick approach to the fitness industry in a way which is at once enjoyable and innovative. In order to access the game, Fitbit says users must meet all the goals throughout any given day which can be preset. The Fitbit Charge 2 will measure the steps taken, distance traveled, floors mounted, calories burnt, as well as other data including active minutes. Only after this will they be able to access the game.
To access the hidden game, or an Easter Egg as it better known, all goals must either be hit or surpassed within a single day. After the goals are completed, the user simply has to click through the screens on their device with the game being on the very last screen. It can be activated in a method similar to the ‘Relax guided breathing’ mode: by holding the button down. Fitbit has clarified that it wanted to give the users a cookie to add to the challenges posed by the daily lives and that it wanted to “gamify” fitness, inspiring people to meet their fitness goals. As an example, Fitbit Challenges and Adventures will compel users to walk, on an average, more than about 2,000 extra steps per day. 2000 steps is nearly a mile of walking worth of extra activity earned every single week. Also, users who want to take advantage of the Reminders to Move feature will sum up nearly one and a half extra miles every week, which is around 500 steps per day. Like we said, the stick and the carrot.
Now, the game itself is very similar to the Flappy Bird concept. You can access it by pushing the button in rapid succession; doing so will move up faster while slowing down has a lowering effect as well. The main objective of the game is to avoid columns set along the top and bottom of the screen to get a more wholesome gaming experience. Players must focus on earning and beating their own respective high scores. Overall, the Fitbit Charge 2 seems to be a fun way to fitness.