Play your way to better health (Dane Van Domelen)

Things in process of getting weird.

The list of fun things that have health benefits--see wine, chocolate, and sex (link safe for work (but it would still be awkward if somebody saw you reading it))--now includes video games. Researchers from Ireland have discovered that playing certain types of video games can actually burn enough calories to be considered exercise.

First, a few notes about the study:

• Games tested were Xbox Kinect Reflex Ridge and Wii Sports Boxing
• More calories were burned playing Xbox Kinect than Nintendo Wii
• More calories were burned in multi-player mode than single player

What does this all mean? For one, it cripples the argument that parents have long used to condemn video games. Kids aren't just sitting in front of the TV anymore; they're dancing, jumping, waving imaginary swords, throwing imaginary footballs... they're doing some serious work.

It's interesting to think about how motion-based gaming might affect the health of America's youngsters. When I was growing up, I probably averaged 90 minutes per day of gaming. If that chunk of time counted as exercise, I would have gotten 630 minutes of exercise per week thanks to video games. That's more than 4 times the amount that the U.S. government recommends.

I'm a believer. Considering the popularity of video games and the amount of time kids spend playing them, I believe that motion-based video games could have a huge impact on physical activity levels and obesity rates in American children. I think there's a real chance that obesity rates could stabilize or even start to drop as motion-based video games become more popular.

Not so fast, says 2nd-year MSPH student in biostatistics, Jason Lee. "If it were my kid, I would be like okay... cool.... you enjoy this video game... but maybe you should go outside and play for a little while too."

He should have played more video games as a child.

Point taken. Then again, playing a skiing or golfing video game could spark an interest in the sport and motivate players to try the real thing. Or, kids here in Atlanta could get a taste of ice hockey or snowboarding, sports that would otherwise be out of reach.

Kids still need to get outside, socialize, and play real sports (e.g. not baseball). But given the fact that kids are going to play video games anyway, it's a good thing that games are evolving into a source of exercise. And for adults, active gaming might be a great way to stay fit. Let's be honest here, nobody actually likes running. Wouldn't you rather play a fun video game for an hour than run your same old loop?


About the author

Dane Van Domelen is a doctoral student at Emory University. He is pursuing a degree in biostatistics, despite advice from his friends, colleagues, previous research advisors, parents, and first grade teacher to go into epidemiology.