Game maker teams with Fitbit to reward exercise

Just like real NBA players, video gamers who put in the pain are going to see the gain.

Only in this case, the pain is going to real-world even if the rewards are in the virtual world.

Video game developer, San Francisco-based 2K, has figured out a novel way to deal with one of the biggest criticisms leveled at the industry, that it promotes lethargy.

2K, makers of the best-selling NBA 2K17 basketball game, will reward players who manage to take 10,000 steps a day, as measured by a Fitbit fitness tracker. They will get some extra advantages when they play the game.

Suddenly, their character in the game will be doing a better job of competing against the NBA's best. They will be more agile and capable of more layups and dunks. Their game performance temporarily improves over the next five games they play that day as a reward for the physical exercise they accomplished.

Gamers will see the benefit when playing in the MyPlayer and MyPark game modes, where users can create their own characters and pit them against NBA players in a virtual career or take them online to play against other gamers' players.

For Fitbit, the goal of the partnership is to lure millennials to the company's line of trackers. Around six months ago, the wearables company reached out to game maker 2K to explore a potential partnership.

"We target a wide range of consumers," said Tim Rosa, senior vice president of global marketing at Fitbit, in an interview with USA TODAY. "But with this partnership, obviously, we're going after that core 2K gamer."

About one of four 2K players are millennials, according to Alfie Brody, vice president of marketing for NBA 2K. Brody notes that while it is a notable percentage, the company attracts players that range from high school age to those in their "late thirties, early forties."

"From our perspective, it's targeting the whole base," said Brody. "There's an inaccurate perception...that gamers aren't active. And in our case, consumers, they are, in fact, active."

"We just want to add another incentive. To not only enjoy the game, our game, but also go out and burn some calories, and participate in exercise and then be rewarded accordingly," Brody said.

To help get the message across, the companies have brought on Harrison Barnes, a forward with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. Barnes, a fan of the video game series dating back to his time at the University of North Carolina, is also a Fitbit global ambassador and is encouraged by the partnership.

"The partnership was genius," says the 24-year old Barnes. The goal was "just to be able to make fitness fun."

While Fitbit recommends using one of its devices for more precise tracking, the free Fitbit mobile app on a phone will also work. Available for iOS or Android, the app can track steps on most current iPhones and Android phones.

Players do, however, need to be playing the game on either an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 system.

The launch of the feature next week is only the first stage of Fitbit and 2K's partnership. Both companies are exploring offering a package of a fitness tracker and a copy of the game at Best Buy and Target, though no further details on the offering were provided.

Also being looked it is an expansion in what activities are measured. As of right now, only steps are being counted, though both sides note that it is possible future iterations will track "basketball moves" such as shooting and dribbling.

Follow Eli Blumenthal on Twitter @eliblumenthal