Abstract
Playing a physically active video game increases energy expenditure above that of sedentary video game play. And anecdotal reports suggest that people play harder against other people then against the computer system. However, the energy expenditure of playing a physically active video game against another person has not been evaluated. Furthermore, most of the research on energy expenditure during physically active video game play has been conducted in children even though young adults represent a large portion of the video game market. PURPOSE: To determine if there is a difference in energy expenditure while playing Nintendo Wii Boxing against a Human or Computer opponent, and to evaluate the energy expenditure in young adults. METHODS: Twenty college-aged adults (10 males, 22.5 ± 0.5 y:10 females, 21.0 ± 0.4 y) were measured for body composition and maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) before playing Nintendo Wii Boxing for 15 minutes against a human or computer opponent, in a randomized manner, while heart rate, oxygen consumption, and energy expenditure were measured. RESULTS: Heart rate, oxygen consumption, and energy expenditure were all higher (P<0.05) at VO2max than any other condition. Heart rates (beats/min) while playing the video game were higher (P<0.05) for both the Human (103.8 ± 4.3) and Computer (104.6 ± 4.6) opponent than at rest (75.4 ± 2.9), with no differences between gender or video game opponent. Oxygen consumption (ml/kg/min) while playing the video game was higher (P<0.05) for both the Human (14.6 ± 1.80) and Computer (14.4 ± 1.66) opponent than at rest (4.4 ± 0.51), with no differences between gender or video game opponent. CONCLUSIONS: The present data support previous investigations indicating that playing a physically active video game increases heart rate, oxygen consumption, and energy expenditure, but the magnitude of increase is not sufficient to classify physically active video game play as even moderate intensity exercise. These data also indicate that the magnitude of increase in energy expenditure while playing a physically active video game is similar in children and young adults. The present data further suggest that playing against a computer or human opponent does not alter the magnitude of increase in energy expenditure associated with physically active video game play.
Published Version
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