Video games have been around for a number of years. They first started out as entertainment systems that required very little movement, yet with much emphasis on eye/hand coordination. Over the years the gaming industry has evolved and has begun to place emphasis on physical activity game play.

In recent years there has been a major increase in exercise video games. Many parents see these instructional games as a way for their kids to become more active. Many people also see these games as a way to fight off childhood obesity.

This gaming idea seems like a total win win, but is it? Do these games really make a difference in kids or even adult’s physical activity? Well after doing a little research I have found some information that was quite surprising.

There was a study published in the journal of Pediatrics that was led by scientists at Baylor College of Medicine. This study basically took 78 kids that were above the average weight for their age group. One group was given fun active games to choose from (dance dance resolution, wii sports, etc…) while the other group maintained their normal video game activity.

Flash-forward….

At the end of the 13 weeks and after comparing the data they found that there was zero difference in physical activity between the two groups. That was a total shocker to even the lead scientist who said “having those video games on the shelf does not lead to automatic physical activity” (Tom Baranowski).

Some of the potential factors that may have led to the lack of discrepancy between the two groups may have been due to caloric expenditures. Exercise can increase appetite especially after a short bout. They could have easily replaced those 200 calories with a bag of M&Ms or even a couple of sugar cookies!

The major take home from this study is that just because you replace a sedentary activity with a physical activity, you aren’t guaranteed to be at a negative caloric intake. Reaping physical activity benefits are going to take more than just replacing one video game for another. Interactive video games will provide beneficial factors in both children and adults as long as supplemental exercise and/or healthy eating is added to the equation.

-Phil