The Power of Play: Innovations in Getting Active Summit 2011

Abstract

Background-To examine the influence active-play video gaming (also referred to as exergaming, exertainment, and active gaming) might have on improving health-related skills, enhancing self-esteem and self-efficacy, promoting social support, and ultimately motivating positive changes in health behaviors, the American Heart Association convened The Power of Play: Innovations in Getting Active Summit. The summit, as well as a follow-up science panel, was hosted by the American Heart Association and Nintendo of America. Methods and Results-The science panel discussed the current state of research on active-play video gaming and its potential to serve as a gateway experience that might motivate players to increase the amount and intensity of physical activity in their daily lives. The panel identified the need for continued research on the gateway concept and on other behavioral health outcomes that could result from active-play video games and considered how these games could potentially affect disparate populations. Conclusions-The summit represented an exciting first step in convening healthcare providers, behavioral researchers, and professionals from the active-play video game industry to discuss the potential health benefits of active-play video games. Research is needed to improve understanding of processes of behavior change with active games. Future games and technologies may be designed with the goal to optimize physical activity participation, increase energy expenditure, and effectively address the abilities and interests of diverse and targeted populations. The summit helped the participants gain an understanding of what is known, identified gaps in current research, and supported a dialogue for continued collaboration. (Circulation. 2011;123:2507-2516.)

I CINAPSE – I International Conference of Physical Activity and Health Promotion at School

“…The results about the level of physical activity involving exergames are aligned with the literature in which it has been observed that the classes with exergames provide to the schoolchildren the permanence of an expressive period of time in level of activities considered as moderated or vigorous (Lieberman, 2011;Pereira, Rodrigues, Campos, & Santo, 2013). The study of Shayne, Fogel, Miltenberger, and Koehler (2012), where the effects of exergames and the traditional physical education were compared among four active children indicated that the students were very involved in the practice of exergames and it was possible to involve the students in different ways of physical activities/exercises.…”

Custom-designed motion-based games for older adults: A review of literature in human-computer interaction

“…Among others, Bogost 19 defines exergames as "games that combine play and exercise", and "that use physical input devices". Likewise, Lieberman et al 20 define activeplay video games, a term they suggest be used as a synonym for exergames, as games that "have an interface that requires physical exertion to play the game". Building on this understanding of exertion interfaces, Mueller et al 21 define exergames as games "in which the outcome is predominantly determined by physical effort".…”

Patient-Empowerment Interactive Technologies

“…Limited studies comparing active with passive video games indicate that activity-promoting video games lead to increased energy expenditure when compared with sedentary video games in healthy children (14). T erapeutic applications of existing video games were recently reviewed (19) and are also the subject of discussions at the annual Games for Health conference sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (http://www.gamesforhealth.org).…”