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Videogames can burn calories
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The evidence of our modern electronic culture is apparent in our children; whether it’s a cell phone never out of arm’s length, being glued to Internet communities or the latest videogame craze. With so many options, and the fact that today’s mom doesn’t feel it’s as safe to let kids play outside, children overwhelmingly prefer electronic entertainment to active play.
Yet these sedentary activities are paralleled by a continual increase worldwide in childhood overweight and obesity. While it’s not a cure-all solution to the problem, medical researchers and gaming industry stakeholders are considering ways to combine electronic entertainment with physical activity.
A recent study published in the September issue of the JAMA Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that children who played active versions of videogames burn more calories, and over time may contribute to a legitimate exercise regimen.
Researchers from the University of Hong Kong, Robin R. Mellecker, B.Sc., and Alison M. McManus, Ph.D., measured heart rate and number of calories burned in 18 children aged 6 to 12, who played an active video game, a passive video game, and an action/running game. Over 25 minutes, the children alternated between the three games with a five-minute rest in between each game.
Study participants played the XaviX gaming system, a new concept from Japanese gaming company, SSD Company Ltd. Players can experience various activities like bowling, fishing and golf. The study also included a XaviX J-Mat that allows participants to walk, run and avoid obstacles.
McManus and Mellecker found that compared to the passive game, children burned 39 percent more calories per minute playing the active videogame, 98 percent more calories per minute playing the active bowling game, and 451 percent more calories per minute playing the action/ running game.
“This translates into a more than four-fold increase in energy expenditure for the XaviX J-Mat game,” the authors write. They also note that 35 minutes per day of the active videogames could prevent weight gain.
The study was followed by an editorial by Russell R. Pate, PhD, professor in the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina, School of Public Health. Pate says, while the findings are not surprising – more physical activity burns more calories, regardless of the source – it is hoped this study, “will lead to additional research to address the range of other issues.”
“What is unknown is just how popular these games will become,” Pate adds. “If they become popular, how will kids build these games into a daily regimen?”
The trend has already begun in the gaming industry to design active videogames, or “exergaming.” In the U.S., Nintendo expanded their Wii brand of active videogames with the launch of Wii Fit in May. Endorsed by various fitness trainers and the American Heart Association’s “Get Moving” campaign, the Wii Fit system is designed to make fitness fun. It provides a variety of activities for balance, strength and aerobics – such skiing, hula hoop and yoga.
Nintendo participated in research on the Wii Fit through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) which conducted a study of this game on 24 people aged 12 to 25. Participants showed a marked increase in exercise intensity and burned a similar number of calories to other forms of aerobic activity.
“The gaming industry has come under the microscope with obesity,” says Pate. “I’m encouraged that the industry appears to be responding to pressure and is exploring the development and marketing of [active] games.”
It looks like physical activity is moving from real to virtual. Only time will tell.
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