Diabetes Forecast - February 2012

WE’LL
MOVE
YOU!
EXERGAMES

device, and the Kinect, which uses a sophisticated motion detector. These systems have increased exergames’ popularity, and now scientists are testing whether the games can improve public health.

Game of Science

Exergames certainly cause players to burn more calories than regular sit-on-the-couch video games, studies show. But it’s less clear whether exergames can get the heart rate up enough to meet recommended levels of physical activity.

Bruce Bailey, PhD, an associate professor of exercise sciences at Brigham Young University, is tackling the question of whether exergames

GAME THEORY Fun counts as physical activity when you increase your heart rate for a length of time—you don’t necessarily need to sweat. Here are three ways to get the most out of exergames.

1Use your whole body Do more than wiggle your arm or shake your tush. Use full body movements to work your muscles and heart. You may not win more points, but you’ll burn more calories and get a better workout.

2Spend some time Play for at least 30 minutes a session to get a recommended daily dose of exercise. Set aside five play dates a week to reach the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity.

3Keep it fresh Exergames can make workouts fun, so make sure you’re playing games that pique your interest. Boxing’s not your thing? Try dancing.

can really improve players’ fitness. In a study in the March 2011 Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Bailey compared how much energy adolescents expended playing popular exergames versus walking on a treadmill at 4;miles per hour, a moderate-intensity rate. DDR burned slightly more energy than treadmill walking, and Wii boxing slightly less.

“The thing about DDR, you have
di;erent songs with di;erent beats,”
says Bailey. “If you get good enough,
you can be very vigorous.” The poorer
results with Wii weren’t surprising, he
adds. Wii is easily tricked. “Children
learn to flick their wrist” to play
instead of moving their whole bodies,
Bailey says. “They’re just playing a
game so they learn to do it with less
energy expenditure over time.”
Enjoyment of these games is also a
factor, because their main advantage
over traditional workouts is that
kids are likely to want to play video
games. “Playing exergames is more
intriguing than hanging out on a
treadmill for a while,” Bailey says. “I
think DDR is always very fun. Girls
really like it and boys like it, too.” But
it’s still unclear whether exergames
will consistently keep people playing,
and moving, for the recommended
30;minutes per session.

Fun for Everyone

While much of the research has focused on kids because they are more likely to be avid gamers, exergames may benefit grown-ups, too—especially if the

OLD-SCHOOL exergaming has been around since the late 1980s. The Nintendo Power Pad was a floor mat with red and blue circles containing pressure sensors. To play games such as World Class Track Meet, users would jump around on the dots.

adults are consciously using the games for fitness. “They’re less likely to take short cuts,” Bailey says, to make the game a lighter workout.

“The really promising part of
using video games is that they are
becoming so common and accessible,”
says Belinda Lange, PhD, senior
research associate at the University
of Southern California Institute for
Creative Technologies. “They are of
interest not only to the young folks
but to the old folks, too.”
Can exergames help overweight
players shed pounds? Lange says
“there’s potential. There are lots of
promising applications coming out
with the Kinect,” such as virtual
personal trainers. There may be
benefits for people with diabetes, too.
A study is now testing whether DDR
can lower average blood glucose in
people with type; 2 diabetes more than
treadmill walking.

Exergaming shouldn’t be a substitute for other forms of exercise, experts say. And more research—and maybe new games—will be needed before conclusions can be drawn on the merits of exergames. For now, the games can be a welcome addition to an active lifestyle. “Some of the video games are fun to play with other people,” says Lange. “That’s really fun for a winter day, to get up and moving and playing together.” ;