25% of Youth Exergame! Do You? (Study)

According to the latest findings published in Pediatrics this morning, about 25% of youth play exergames, twice per week on average, for  about 50 minutes each bout and with 73% of exergamers playing them at a moderate (MPA) or vigorous intensity (VPA).

Erin K. O’Loughlin,, Erika N. Dugas, Catherine M. Sabiston, & Jennifer L. O’Loughlin (2012). Prevalence and Correlates of Exergaming in Youth Pediatrics : doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-0391

These levels are quite a bit higher than the figures we reported a few years ago (average 25 minutes), but this makes sense as popularity of motion gaming has exploded since then. Given the current figures (number of units produced) of the newest generation of camera-based controllers including Xbox Kinect and Playstation Move are 19 and 10.5 millions units respectively (Matthews, 2012; Moriarty, 2012) it seems evident that the games industry has mbraced this new wave of activity-based video games.

Yang, S.P., Treece, J.L, Miklas, C, & Graham, G (2009). Physical activity, sedentary, and exergaming time in a PEP school Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport , 80 (1(Supplement))

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OBJECTIVES: Less than 15% of children and adolescents participate regularly in physical activity (PA) and, with ever-increasing obesity, strategies to improve PA levels in youth are urgently needed. Exergaming offers a PA alternative that may be especially attractive in our increasingly technophilic society. However, there are no observational studies of exergaming in population-based samples of adolescents. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential sociodemographic, lifestyle, psychosocial, weight-related, and mental health correlates of exergaming as well as describe the type, timing, and intensity of exergaming in a population-based sample of adolescents.

METHODS: Data on exergame use and potential sociodemographic, lifestyle, psychosocial, weight-related, and mental health correlates of exergaming were collected in mailed self-report questionnaires completed by 1241 grade 10 and 11 students from the Montreal area with a mean age of 16.8 years (SD = 0.05 years; 43% male) participating in the AdoQuest study. The independent correlates of exergaming were identified in multivariable logistic regression models.

RESULTS: Nearly one-quarter (24%) of participants reported exergaming. Exergamers played 2 days per week on average, for ∼50 minutes each bout; 73% of exergamers played at a moderate or vigorous intensity. Exergamers were more likely than nonexergamers to be girls, to play nonactive video games, to watch ≥2 hours of television per day, to be stressed about weight, and to be nonsmokers.

CONCLUSIONS: Many adolescents exergame at intensity levels that could help them achieve current moderate-to-vigorous PA recommendations. Interventions that encourage exergaming may increase PA and decrease sedentary behavior in select youth subgroups, notably in girls.

Kinect Boxing and Dance Central Exergames Burn Em Up (Study)

Using the latest in exergaming equipment including the Kinect sensor, we have the ability to free the game player up from holding any game controllers and move more naturally. Smallwood and colleagues had children play two Kinect games (Sports Boxing and Dance Central) for 15 minutes. As expected, Boxing was more strenuous than Dance Central but unlike other studies, the intensities were only of moderate and light intensities respectively. 

Exergaming Points to Ponder (P2P)

• What was the RPE was for each condition? 
• What (if any) did the children prefer?
• Did they have prior experience in playing these games or using Kinect?

Smallwood, SR, Morris, MM, Fallows, SJ, & Buckley, JP (2012). Physiologic Responses and Energy Expenditure of Kinect Active Video Game Play in Schoolchildren. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 1-5 PMID: 23007801

Objective  To evaluate the physiologic responses and energy expenditure of active video gaming using Kinect for the Xbox 360.

Design  Comparison study.

Setting  Kirkby Sports College Centre for Learning, Liverpool, England.

Participants  Eighteen schoolchildren (10 boys and 8 girls) aged 11 to 15 years.

Main Exposure  A comparison of a traditional sedentary video game and 2 Kinect activity-promoting video games, Dance Central and Kinect Sports Boxing, each played for 15 minutes. Physiologic responses and energy expenditure were measured using a metabolic analyzer.

Main Outcome Measures  Heart rate, oxygen uptake, and energy expenditure.

Results  Heart rate, oxygen uptake, and energy expenditure were considerably higher (P < .05) during activity-promoting video game play compared with rest and sedentary video game play. The mean (SD) corresponding oxygen uptake values for the sedentary, dance, and boxing video games were 6.1 (1.3), 12.8 (3.3), and 17.7 (5.1) mL · min^–1 · kg^–1, respectively. Energy expenditures were 1.5 (0.3), 3.0 (1.0), and 4.4 (1.6) kcal · min^–1, respectively.

Conclusions  Dance Central and Kinect Sports Boxing increased energy expenditure by 150% and 263%, respectively, above resting values and were 103% and 194% higher than traditional video gaming. This equates to an increased energy expenditure of up to 172 kcal · h^–1 compared with traditional sedentary video game play. Played regularly, active gaming using Kinect for the Xbox 360 could prove to be an effective means for increasing physical activity and energy expenditure in children.

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Dragon Ball Z: Total Body Workout exergame

Getting more active has never been easier with active play video games (exergames) and this demo of the upcoming Dragon Ball Z: Total Body Workout is no exception. I thought a few screen shots of the action would capture some of the movements required to play. Watch the video on Kotaku to get a sense of the pace of the actual game.

Most of the movements seem to be upper-body and upper-limb focused and a couple spots where a jump was required. I thought there might be kicking required (given the game character threw a couple of kicks), but it doesn't look like it.

Still awaiting word on Game Modes and Combos and wondering if it will be part of FitPlay option on Xbox Live along with heart rate monitor...

[Via Kotaku]
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Wii Balance Board Good for PD?

Abstract:
Background:Impaired postural stability places individuals with Parkinson's at an increased risk for falls. Given the high incidence of fall-related injuries within this population, ongoing assessment of postural stability is important.Objective:To evaluate the validity of the Nintendo Wii(®) balance board as a measurement tool for the assessment of postural stability in individuals with Parkinson's.Subjects:Twenty individuals with Parkinson's participated.Intervention:Subjects completed testing on two balance tasks with eyes open and closed on a Wii(®) balance board and biomechanical force platform.Main Measures:Bland-Altman plots and a two-way, random-effects, single measure intraclass correlation coefficient model were used to assess concurrent validity of centre-of-pressure data.Results:Concurrent validity was demonstrated to be excellent across balance tasks (intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.96, 0.98, 0.92, 0.94).Conclusions:This study suggests that the Wii(®) balance board is a valid tool for the quantification of postural stability among individuals with Parkinson's.

Holmes  Jenkins, Johnson AM, Hunt MA, & Clark RA (2012). Validity of the Nintendo Wii(R) balance board for the assessment of standing balance in Parkinson's disease. Clinical Rehabilitation PMID: 22960241

Gamer Health Record (GHR) debuts as Kinect PlayFit to track exergaming calories

Launching today on Xbox Live is a free new downloadable dashboard for Xbox LIVE members. Kinect PlayFit is hoping to be a stepping stone to the Holy Grail of the Quantified-Self movement as it will track the time and calories you burn while playing exergames like Dance Central 2 and Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012. Indeed it is the first time a major console will integrate fitness tracking across games as previously it only existed in game info from games like DDR, EA SPORTS Active, and EyeToy Kinetic. 

Exergaming Points to Ponder (ExP2P)

If more developers make user-generated data available to the dashboard - we might be witnessing the start of something incredible as a health application, research tool, and social engagement tracker. Some might say that the gamification of this data is not enough, but it just might be once they pair the Joule Heart rate monitor, mobile phone, and other motion trackers to this Gamer Health Record as predicted by many including Ben Sawyer at the Games for Health project. This is truly a step in the right direction, now if we can only get all the makers to use similar or standardized caloric expenditure guidelines to make the tracking more reliable and consistent.

• Kinect PlayFit is a new fitness dashboard that aggregates and tracks the calories you burn as you play a variety of Kinect games, from “Dance Central 2” to “Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012” to “Kinect Star Wars.”
• Kinect PlayFit lets you view your personal stats over time and see leaderboards that show how you rank against Xbox LIVE members across the globe. Get credit for the calories you burn while having fun with Kinect, and earn Kinect PlayFit Achievements, Gamerscore and Avatar Awards.

Kinect PlayFit inspires an active and healthy lifestyle through fun and play:

• First of Its Kind – This is the first ever fitness tracking application on a video game console.
• Social Motivation – Kinect PlayFit keeps it social with activity challenges, rankings on leaderboards and integration with the Xbox LIVE community to break a sweat together.
• Survey Says – According to a recent survey (presumably the UnitedHealthcare study) *nearly 75 percent of respondents believe that video games should include a component that encourages physical activity. Also, 70 percent said that physically active video games can complement or supplement traditional exercise.

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TEN Chairman Will Jump Out of a Plane for Exergaming Student Research

Jump into Exergaming

The Exergame Network (TEN) is a not for profit advocacy group promoting exergaming and wishes to give students new opportunities to research this exciting new field.

The Exergame Network Chairman of the Board, Richard Coshott, will undertake a sponsored skydive in August this year to raise awareness and money for TEN towards funding students study designs into research reality. TEN will be inviting students to submit study designs for consideration by the board of directors towards an award.

Awards will be made in October and not limited to funding but include donation or free borrowing of exergame equipment and, most valuable, expertise from TEN exergaming researchers in to form of help, advice and study quality assurance.

"I am raising money by way of a sponsored skydive in August 2012 to provide TEN with funds to support aspirations towards quality research in exergaming, by engaging the new generation of researchers. The skydive is a solo jump, which represents the leap of faith and commitment of purpose we would expect to see in candidate submissions into the field of exergaming research from the students." said TEN Chairman Richard Coshott.

The Exergame Network already freely provides a rich source of exergame information at it's wiki http://exergaming.pbworks.com and is supported by the sectors leading, independent experts. The awards for the Future of Exergaming Research will be made by TEN following an international invitation for study designs open to all universities across the globe.

Please support the inititive by showing your support at https://www.fundraise.com/the-exergame-network/active-gamer. All donations will be attributed directly to award winners, full details of the contest will be available via TEN.