I like Rags to Riches, where you and the other players, who are in big boats, all row to launch cannons at incoming pirate ships, with the goal of protecting your treasure. In this game, you work together with other players, but there are also plenty of head-to-head and group competition games that offer more straightforward racing formats.
The variety of games is truly impressive. When I initially heard about the machine, I assumed the only kind of games you could play on a rower would be race-like, but Aviron’s programmers have come up with all kinds of interesting options to keep you entertained. You can play games where you row to shoot at bugs or throw snowballs varying distances, or where you have to keep your power within a certain range to hop into different race track lanes to collect points. There are even Pong-like options.
The idea here is to allow users to work out without thinking about it and for the programming to have the same addictive quality as actual video games. It does feel like gaming, in the sense that you can invite friends who are Aviron users to play with you, hop into group games that are already taking place when you sign in, and collect coins as you play that you can use to change your avatars or backgrounds or unlock new game packs. New games are always being added to the Aviron interface, too, so it’s hard to get bored.
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Photograph: Kristin Canning
There are other cool workout options, too, if gaming isn’t your thing. You can stream shows, row in scenic destinations around the world, row against pro athletes, and follow guided, prerecorded workouts and training programs from coaches.
There’s also the option to do your own workout and track your metrics, like meters rowed, splits, watts, calories, output, strokes, and heart rate (if you’re wearing a monitor and have it connected to the machine via Bluetooth). The metric tracking feature is one of few you can utilize if you don’t get the Aviron membership.
