 Exergames: The New Face of Exercise? By Sarah Takagaki June 4, 2015

A New Mode of Exercise

Question Does exergaming really have an impact on our physical health and our physical activity? 1) Physical benefits of Wii games 2) Exergaming in PE classes 3) Exergaming for physical rehabilitation

Wii Gaming vs. Everyday Activity (Bausch, Beran, Cahanes, & Krug, 2008) Heart rate Blood pressure O 2 uptake Energy expenditure

Exergames in PE??  Exergame stations: Wii Boxing, Wii Basketball, biking, kicking, stepping, balancing, DDR, etc.  Easily engaged, spend more time “playing”  Higher levels of physical activity  Social validity!  Data collected via survey showed a preference for exergames in PE classes An exergaming PE class (Fogel, Miltenberger, Graves, & Koehler, 2010)

Hey grams, you can do it too.  Exergames  physical rehabilitation  Intervention to increase fitness and improve balance  Adults (ages 65+) in retirement communities were recruited  Exergames intervention included a ski slalom, step game, soccer heading, tablet tilt  3 months of 30-min training sessions 3x per week resulted in:  Improved balance, walking speed  Increased enjoyment and motivation (Agmon, Perry, Phelan, Demiris, & Nguyen, 2011)

Limitations and Future Directions  Limitation:  It is hard to see how much exergaming can impact aerobic activity without a clear comparison of fit individuals vs. less active individuals (Bausch, Beran, Cahanes, & Krug, 2008).  Future directions:  Do further studies in comparing specific effects of individual exergames to see if some should be used more than others in either school setting, exercise facilities, or physical rehabilitation centers

A New Face of Exercise?  In conclusion, exergaming can:  Increase amount of physical activity  Provide opportunity for physically intense activities  Be a socially valid form of exercise  Be used for physical rehabilitation  Motivate a player to be more active