Are Active Video Games Effective at Eliciting Moderate-Intensity Physical Activity in Children, and Do They Enjoy Playing Them?

Abstract

Background Despite current physical activity (PA) guidelines, children spend an average of 1-3 hours/day playing video games. Some video games offer physically active components as part of gameplay. We sought to determine if these active video games (AVGs) can elicit at least moderate PA in children, identify game elements important for PA, and determine if they are fun to play. Methods Twenty children aged 8 to 16 years underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing to determine their heart rate (HR) at ventilatory threshold. Participants played 2 different AVGs, and the gaming time that each participant’s HR was above the HR thresholds for moderate and vigorous PA was determined. Gameplay elements that supported or inhibited active gameplay were also identified. Participants also completed questionnaires on physical activity, game engagement, and game experience. Results The Dance Central Spotlight and Kung-Fu for Kinect AVGs produced at least moderate PA, for a mean of 54.3% ± 29.5% and 87.8% ± 21.8% of gameplay time, respectively. Full-body movements, player autonomy, and self-efficacy were observed to be important elements of good AVG design. Although participants enjoyed these AVGs, they still preferred their favorite games (game engagement score of 1.82 ± 0.67 vs 0.95 ± 0.70 [ Dance Central Spotlight ] and 1.39 ± 0.37 [ Kung Fu for Kinect ]). Conclusions AVGs can provide at least moderate PA and are enjoyable to play, but most popular video games do not incorporate active components. The implementation of government policies and a rating system concerning PA in video games may help address the widespread sedentary lifestyle of children.

Can Physical Activity in Immersive Virtual Reality Be Attractive and Have Sufficient Intensity to Meet Health Recommendations for Obese Children? A Pilot Study

“…Research has been conducted to assess the intensity of PA of various AVGs in the context of health recommendations for PA. Research results vary depending on the type of game and console. Some authors indicated that the intensity of PA is rather low [11], while others found that its levels are moderate or high [12][13][14][15]. There are reports that AVGs can be useful in combating overweight and obesity as they help increase daily dose PA and that playing these games can reduce BMI in children [16,17].…”

Testing the Mystic School Mobile Application to Promote Active Commuting to School in Spanish Adolescents: The PACO Study

“…Once again, the need for socialization and cooperative learning among all members is confirmed [ 27 ]. Thus, identifying what makes an app fun and engaging is important for an optimal game design [ 28 ]. It is important to focus on more user-identifiable characters, such as high-level realistic graphics and well-defined instructions; this has been suggested by a recent systematic review as one of the most important points for a successful healthy-lifestyle promotion [ 29 ].…”

The impact of different types of screen time on school-aged children’s quality of life and participation

“…ST refers to the use or viewing of anything with a screen with various types of ST requiring different levels of cognitive and physical engagement from the user (Norozi et al, 2020; Sweetser et al, 2012). Sanders et al have categorized four types of ST in Australian children: ‘educational ST (e.g.…”

“…Therefore, ST has the potential to foster increased and decreased participation in meaningful activities. While higher ST use has been linked to lower physical activity participation, which in turn affects HRQoL, video games that incorporate physical movement as part of gameplay can elicit moderate and vigorous-intensity physical activity, and are viewed by users as enjoyable (Norozi et al, 2020; Stiglic and Viner, 2019; Zhang et al, 2017). Furthermore, studies suggest that when adjusted for sociodemographic variables, ST’s correlation to displaced recreational activity participation in children no longer exists (Lees et al, 2020).…”