Fundraiser for Exergaming Research

A good friend of mine has decided to take a leap of faith, literally, by training to solo sky dive and then taking the big jump on Sunday, November 18th. He is not doing this just as a "bucket list" activity. Richard Coshott, CEO of Gamercize and founder of The Exergame Network (TEN), has decided to dedicate this jump to support quality research for Exergaming. Please read the following blog posted on TEN or visit the website here:

SPONSORED SKYDIVE FOR EXERGAME RESEARCH

The Exergame Network (TEN) is a not for profit advocacy group promoting exergaming that wishes to give students new opportunities to research this exciting new field. I am raising money by way of a sponsored skydive on November 18th 2012 to provide TEN with funds to support new generation researchers with their study costs into active gaming / exergaming. The skydive is a solo jump, which will take 2 days of training that I will pay for myself. All the monies raised will go directly to supporting TEN's aspirations towards quality research in exergaming. The Exergame Network (TEN) has been long aware that the limitations of exergaming are public knowledge, dissemination, application and study design rather than failings in the equipment and the excellent individuals who deliver the experience to the users. To that end TEN has collaborated to give the top questions, and therefore evidence, required to understand exergaming. We need studies to show positive results in the following studies;

1. Energy Expenditure (absolute or comparative) - DONE
2. Adherence of Exergaming - DONE
3. Positive Behaviour Effects
4. Gateway Effect
5. Comparative Enjoyment of PA
6. Health Benefits of Exergaming
7. Family health benefits of Exergaming
8. Cognitive benefits of exergaming
9. Improved social confidence from Exergaming

TEN will ask for study designs to be submitted for consideration and the best of these will be decided by a panel of experts for funding and support. As indicated above TEN thinks there is more to funding a study than most other foundations - TEN wants the right questions, right design and right approach, so the award to successful candidates will not only be money. TEN is providing the following;

1. Cash for research assistants / buy out from class
2. Exergaming equipment donation
3. Dissemination opportunities
4. Publication opportunities
5. Academic Support and Exergaming Expertise

 Way to go Richard and TEN! I will be posting results as well as pictures of the event soon!

Just Do It! It Is Really That Easy...

Often when I travel to conferences I have the opportunity to present on active gaming. My latest focus has been on helping teachers understand the most appropriate way to implement these activities into their curriculum. I have been positively surprised at the interest I receive from teachers that truly want to step out of the box and incorporate active gaming in their classes. What they do not understand, hence the purpose of this post, is how easy it is to make this step. The first major issue is always about the money. Teachers that do not have funding are discouraged as they think the activities are all incredibly expensive or they have to have a room full of the games. This is simply not the case. 1. The active gaming field has grown dramatically due to the popularity of the industry. Now there are a plethora of games such as the XBox Kinect and Nintendo Wii that are compatible with a lot of popular games. Some teachers have even stated they already have these video game consoles at home and could bring them to class for their students to enjoy. Also, some students have these games and enjoy being able to bring them in to share during class. The most important aspect is making sure they are not just playing the games, but basing the game play on learning objectives. 2. It is certainly not necessary to have a full room of active games. This actually concerns me as many teachers that do have access to a variety of active games do not appropriately implement them. For example, if I am working on a dance lesson, students should not be playing activities such as makoto, 3 kick, virtual bikes, or virtual boxing games. These activities are most appropriate for a different kind of skill development and/or fitness curriculum. Having just one or two active gaming activities is appropriate and provides the fun motivation for children to be exposed to a variety of physical activities. Once again, implementing active gaming into your curriculum can be EASY. You just have to make that step and Just Do It!!!

Active Gaming Going Mobile?

There are millions of apps available for smartphones today. So many we cannot keep up. Children are learning at an early age how to create/develop new apps - everything seems to be going mobile. Scan coupons, get directions, check the weather, watch television, exercise, or play video games...we are living by our mobile smartphones! There are already several active games created for mobile phones. However, I ran across a company called BitGym and found this idea for exercising using the active gaming concept neat. I encourage you to watch the introductory video (it is very brief). This application is making exercise fun wherever the participant chooses. Teachers, please realize the growing popularity of active gaming should be growing into your classrooms. Children now have opportunities to exercise at home that is fun and convenient. Quality physical education classrooms should be educating children on these types of opportunities to explore to encourage lifelong physical activity behaviors.

Active Gaming to Compliment Fitness Testing?

For years we have been trying to find a more desirable way to test fitness levels in children. When I was teaching in elementary school I can still remember the sighs' coming from the students when it was time to "run the mile". There is really not much teachers can do about this...cardiovascular efficiency must be tested, right? Finally, there is a study that has been conducted that has set the stage for further research and exploration of how teachers may finally have a way to make testing more fun and motivating. You can find the entire blog on the Exergame Fitness website here.

The objective of the study is as follows:

"Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether a correlation existed between the scores of the Jackie Chan Action Run active video game, the one-mile run/walk and Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) aerobic fitness tests of the FITNESSGRAM® in order to provide a potential alternative testing method for days that are not environmentally desirable for outdoor testing."

I think this study has many implications for physical education teachers. Not only may this active game be an appropriate method of testing students in the future; but, it may also serve as a great way to help students prepare for testing and improve fitness levels in and out of school. The Jackie Chan Action Run video game is feasible in cost and could serve as a great Christmas or birthday present and most teachers would have the funding to include this game in their curriculum!

National Public Health Week

I read a great blog today about National Public Health week (April 2-8). The article mentions active gaming/exergaming in what I believe is a positive and accurate manner. Here is part of the blog that discusses exergaming:

"Furthermore, the recent surge in "exergaming," a term used to describe video games that also serve as a type of exercise, is providing an innovative approach to promoting physical activity. Video games for interactive boxing and dancing get people up and moving, sometimes burning energy at levels comparable to moderate forms of exercise. Some schools have set up exergaming stations, and these interactive exercise sessions have been very popular among students, especially encouraging less athletic, often obese or overweight students to become more active. While these approaches do not solve the problem of physical inactivity for all Americans, they provide creative alternatives to traditional fitness activities and offer an exciting way to reduce sedentary time as well as promote physical activity."

You can read the entire blog here. It is wonderful that exergaming continues to grow in popularity and the physical activity benefits provided by participating in some of these activities are becoming more apparent.

Active Gaming at AAHPERD

Most of you have heard that the AAHPERD conference in Boston this year didn't turn out so well because of the power outage on Tuesday evening. Although many sessions were cancelled as well as the exhibit hall, active gaming sessions were still popular and in demand. There was a pre conference workshop on Tuesday that showcased a number of active gaming products and allowed teachers to be hands on with playing the games as well as developing lesson plan ideas. The workshop was a success thanks to Dr. Helena Baert, Stephen Yang, and undergraduate physical education majors from Suny Cortland. Konami was also able to showcase their new multiplayer Dance Dance Revolution product and discussed the benefits of the PE Classroom Edition with the audience.

What I found to be positive was the fact that there were more sessions scheduled this year to present on active gaming as well as the turnout of the attendees during the sessions. Quality physical education teachers are desiring to learn more about active gaming, how it can benefit the students, and how to implement these innovative activities in their classrooms.

Next year at the AAHPERD conference in Charlotte we can only hope to continue to see progress with an even better turnout of active gaming sessions and attendance.

Active Gaming Survey!

Thanks to the TEN (The Exergaming Network) for posting this great opportunity to assist researchers in learning more about your involvement with active gaming/exergaming:

Nationwide PE Exergaming Survey Open!

Jennifer Krause, Ph.D
I can effectively facilitate students’ safe and appropriate exergaming technology use in physical education. Do you agree? Do you disagree? The University of Texas at San Antonio is asking for the opinions of PE teachers in a nationwide PE Exergaming Survey into exergaming beliefs and behaviors in physical education.


"We want to learn how physical educators feel about and their experiences with exergaming in physical education. The knowledge gained from this study may contribute to our understanding of the current state of teachers’ beliefs and experiences with exergaming, which will allow professionals to make decisions regarding future training and implementation." says principal investigator Jennifer Krause, Ph.D.

Exergaming Technology is defined as a video game system that requires gross motor physical exercise or movement to play the game. Examples of exergames include, but are not limited to:
• Dance Pad Games (Dance step games or games that use a dance pad or similar pad for input, such as DDR)
• Controller tracking (people have to use a controller, such as Nintendo Wii or Playstation Move)
• Motion Tracking (people use their bodies, camera, such as Xbox Kinect)
• Bikes / Rowers / Steppers / Treadmill / Balance Boards as controllers


The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete and is confidential. If you include your email address you will be entered into a drawing for a Wii gaming system. In-service physical education teachers can start the survey by clicking on this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M3D265W


Those also attending the AAHPERD convention in March 2012, that indicate a preference, can meet the research team and may be invited to participate in focus groups or interviews at the convention.