Would Gamers Make Great Bodybuilders?

It's been suggested in the past that gamers could make good soldiers. When the United States Army launched "America's Army" in 2002, they were specifically targeting gamers for recruitment, and they ended up using it to develop and educate their own soldiers in the process.

Well, a new trend suggests there may be a new place gamers can harness untapped abilities: The gym. According to CNN, many gamers are finding it's easier for them to pick up healthy and effective work-out habits than it is for others because they already understand the core concepts behind "leveling up," which is gamespeak for reaching a tangible plateau of development.

Dick Talens and Brian Wang, who used to spend the majority of their time playing games like "Counter-Strike," "Starcraft," and "Everquest," decided to put the time and energy they spent leveling up video game characters and honing their online skills into real-life bodybuilding. They even developed

Talens, right, weighed around 220 pounds in 2002 before he began working out.



Now they run a site called Fitocracy, which helps users develop a work-out regimen in much the same way they might level up a character on a video game. It allows users to work on the things they want to work on, while also challenging them to tackle non-primary objectives -- like some extra cardio if you're a weight-lifter.

Talens explains, "People don't realize that video games are an expression of personality. There's certain qualities that people have. They're obsessed with improving the stat sheets, getting to the next level; they pay a lot of attention to detail. Guys who play ('World of Warcraft') ... are very intense about whatever they do. They can turn that addiction and all its characteristics into fitness."