The Case for Exergaming (Active Gaming): Systems by Wii and Others Force Players to Break a sweat

I found the below recently published article "The Case for Exergaming (Active Gaming): Systems by Wii and Others Force Players to Break a sweat" to be a nice read from the Chicago Tribune. The article discusses active video games as well as the support from the American Academy of Pedriatrics for using active video games to encourage physical activity among youth:

"Whew-hew," yells Lorelei Mansfield, throwing her arms in the air. Her breath is audible and the smell of sweat is in the air — par for the course for a boxer dealing some serious rough justice.

Then she puts down the controller and heads to the kitchen for some fruit snacks.

Today's video games have very little to do with that Atari system boxed up somewhere in the garage. For nearly three decades, the only physical sign of someone having played video games was a thumb cramp. Now, the virtual reality of many games requires players to punch, throw and swing. And that, according to some studies, is helping keep video game players in better physical shape than in decades past.

The American Academy of Pediatrics this year said the magic words gamers have dreamed about for decades: Playing video games actually can be considered exercise. That especially applies to Wii Sports and Konami's Dance Dance Revolution, in which users go through the motions to make their virtual counterparts perform. Boxing, martial arts, basketball, archery, bowling, table tennis and more can be simulated in one's own living room. The key is to stand up and participate in what's being called "exergaming."

"Exergaming is beneficial because it keeps (kids) in a culture of movement as opposed to a culture of (inactivity)," Dr. Michael Rich, the director of the Center for Media and Children's Health at Children's Hospital in Boston, tells the American Academy of Pediatrics newsmagazine.

A study published in the journal Pediatrics showed that participation in intense games such as Wii Boxing or Dance Dance Revolution was comparable to moderate-intensity walking. But another article in the same issue said that though exergaming uses significantly more energy than sitting around pushing buttons, those games don't provide as much benefit as participating in actual sports.

In other words, gaming nerds aren't totally off the hook.

"Unless you do resistance-type exercise, you won't gain a lot of strength," says Dr. Robert Dimeff, sports medicine director at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. "To get cardiovascular benefits, you'd need to get your heart rate and blood pressure up."

Getting beat by an 8-year-old at Wii boxing will get the blood pressure up, all right.

A firsthand look at five kids, ages 5-12, playing Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, shows that the games generate a lot of action among players.

Yelling, bickering and controller tug-of-war are optional.

"I think that (action games) are more fun because they're active," says Tony Romano, 12, of Clayton, Calif. "It feels more real when you're standing and playing. You feel like you need to win."

The kids really get worked up playing Swordplay, where the on-screen weapon looks like it's made of wood (probably to cut out the gore caused by a blade). It requires players — whose avatars stand atop a round platform in a large stadium — to defend, strike, parry and basically beat their opponent until they fall into the water below (far enough to allow pre-splashdown gloating). The harder the swing, the more powerful the attack, which gets the blood pumping.

Ron Rogers of Brentwood, Calif., only lets his kids play Wii on weekends. But when they do, he can tell the difference between the active and nonactive games.

"They end up all sweaty and red in the face from all the jumping and twisting and punching they do while playing," he says. "They're jumping the whole time and moving their arms about. We always say it makes us feel better about them playing video games because they get such a good workout."

The workout, of course, depends on the level of commitment. Mickey DeLorenzo, a 25-year-old Philadelphia man, began a semifamous fitness regime in December 2006, playing Wii for 30 minutes a day for six weeks."

Chicago Tribune

A few important take home messages:

1. As with any physical activity, active games are only as beneficial as the intended use of the games. As the above quote mentions, "the workout...depends on the level of commitment."

2. This article focuses on Nintendo Wii and Dance Dance Revolution. There are many more active games available that produce similar and/or different health benefits. Resistance training (muscular strength improvement)can be developed with a variety of active games.

3. Active games have the potential to replace sedentary screen time because of the whole body immersion that children enjoy: "I think that (action games) are more fun because they're active," says Tony Romano, 12, of Clayton, Calif. "It feels more real when you're standing and playing..."

Why not let tell them to "get up and go get your game on"...