'Exergaming' offers alternative to people not into traditional exercise

Article content

The days of telling kids to put down the video games and get some exercise might be close to over.

Researchers from the University of Georgia have found that playing video games that use motion controls could help people be more active. 

The study was published in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.  

It turns out that if you aren’t into traditional forms of exercise, like weightlifting or running, active video games may be a worthwhile alternative. 

“When an individual feels autonomous, they’re more likely to exercise or exergame on their own,” Sami Yii-Piipari, co-author of the study, said in a statement. “They feel ownership over what they are doing, and they’re doing it for themselves, so it’s more likely they will keep up the activity.”

The researchers followed 55 people who were not achieving a recommended weekly goal of 150 minutes of physical activity. The participants were randomly assigned a form of exercise, either traditional or through gaming. The gamer-exercisers, dubbed the “Exergamers” could pick from Just Dance, Kinect Sports, or Zumba Fitness World Party. 

The Just Dance series debuted in 2009 on the Nintendo Wii, a console famous for its use of motion controls. Today’s consoles use cameras to follow the players’ bodies as they follow a choreographed set of dance moves on screen. Kinect Sports allows players to participate in soccer, volleyball, bowling, and a number of others, by moving their body to interact with the game. Zumba Fitness: World Party is essentially a virtual Zumba class that players follow, either by holding a controller or setting up a camera with their console. 

A sense of ownership over workout routine is important

Researchers studied the participants with heart rate monitors, accelerometers, and with a scale that measured how hard they thought they had worked, as well as other scales that measured participants’ enjoyment of their exercise routine. 

Those who were doing traditional forms of exercise usually worked harder, but the exergamers had more fun, and more of a sense of ownership over their exercise routine. That could make it more likely for the exergamers to keep the routine up. 

Yli-Piipari says it can be difficult for people to make the first move toward exercising, but video games could help address the issue. 

“I see exergaming and technology-enhanced exercise as a stepping stone,” Yli-Piipari said. “It’s the first step in the right direction, especially for people who are not involved in any kind of exercise.”

Active video games can also be an easy way to introduce children to exercise, the study authors noted, particularly those who may not be inclined to working out if it isn’t enjoyable.

Approximately 70 million copies of Just Dance has been sold, according to a 2019 infographic from the game’s developer, Ubisoft. 

Chris Arnold is a Toronto-based writer.