Can video games help kids get active?

Publication Date:27/12/2007

New, active video games, such as those on the Wii console, use much more energy than old-style, sitting-down video games; but not as much as playing sport for real.

What do we know already?

Health advice says that teenagers should do about an hour of ‘moderate to vigorous’ exercise each day. This means using about three times the energy needed while resting. But, as any parent knows, getting teenagers to exercise can be a problem. Facebook, video games and TV tend to be more popular than cross-country running.

So, any way to get teenagers to take more exercise sounds like a great idea. New-style video games, which use a movement-sensing controller to simulate sports like bowling, tennis and boxing, require players to get off the sofa and work up a bit of a sweat. Could they be the answer to persuading teenagers to take the recommended amount of exercise?

What does the new study say?

Active video games help, but they’re not the whole answer. In a new study, teenagers aged 13 to 15 played video games while researchers measured the amount of energy used. Active video games used more energy than ordinary computer games, but not as much as playing sport for real. And active video games don't usually need enough effort to count as 'moderate or vigorous' exercise.

Tell me more about the study’s findings

The study showed, over the course of an hour:

Resting energy use was 72 calories, on average
Playing an Xbox game used 108 calories
Playing the Wii bowling game used 167 calories
Wii tennis used 180 calories
Wii boxing used 174 calories.

But playing the sports for real uses much more energy per hour:

Bowling uses 191 calories
Doubles tennis uses 318 calories
Boxing with a sparring partner would use a massive 576 calories if you could keep it up for an hour.

Where does the study come from?

The research was done by the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University. It was published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal), which is owned by the British Medical Association.

What does this mean for me?

Scarily, just one portion of Christmas pudding contains about 330 calories. So, if you’re planning to use a session of Wii bowling to work it off afterwards, you’ll need to spend a good two hours playing. Make sure it’s gone down properly first.

What should I do now?

New-style video games are fun and exciting. But if you want your teenager to get out and exercise, you might be better off buying an old-style tennis racquet.

Graves L, Stratton G, Ridgers ND, et al. Energy expenditure in adolescents playing new generation computer games. BMJ. 2007; 335: 1282-1284.

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