Can Gaming Get You Fit?

Abstract

Rationale: Exergaming may be a viable alternative to more traditional exercise. As highintensity exercise can provide substantial health benefits, the purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term effectiveness of providing inactive adults with access to a high-intensity exergaming platform. Methods: In this study, 52 inactive adults (<150 min of exercise per week), aged 18 years or older, were randomized (1:1) into an exergaming (N = 27) or a control group (N = 25). Exergaming participants were given access to the Playpulse exergaming platform for 6 months, where they decided how frequently they wanted to use the platform. The primary outcome measure, analyzed with a mixed model, was peak oxygen uptake (VO 2peak). Secondary outcomes included body composition, blood pressure, and blood markers of cardiometabolic health. Results: MeanVO 2peak at 6 months was 42.3 (SD 7.0) mL•kg −1 •min −1 and 41.9 (SD 7.4) mL•kg −1 •min −1 for the exergaming and control group, respectively with no significant between-group differences (-0.7, 95% CI-2.7 to 1.3, P = 0.49). Apart from increased moderate-intensity physical activity in the exergaming group at 3 months (21.9 min•day −1 , 95% CI: 2.2 to 41.5, P = 0.03) compared to the control group, there were no significant between-group differences for any outcome at either 3 or 6 months. On average, participants in the exergaming group performed 12 (SD 13) exergaming sessions with an average heart rate of 74.5 (SD 7.5)% of maximum heart rate, throughout the intervention. Conclusion: Due to low exergaming frequency over the 6-month intervention, exergaming participants showed no significant health benefits compared to control. Our study indicates that although the Playpulse exergaming platform is found enjoyable, this is not enough to motivate inactive adults to regularly engage in exercise and thereby improve health.

Effects of home‐based exergaming on cardio‐metabolic and cognitive health in physically inactive individuals

“…However, neither of these studies encompassed a predetermined training frequency. 29,30 Another study, which performed a training intervention similar to the present study, albeit in a smaller sample (seven participants), revealed comparable improvements in CRF after 6 weeks of exergaming. 11 In line with our findings, a recently published randomized controlled trial in healthy adults, who performed at least two sessions of highintensity exergame training per week for 8 weeks, found similar changes in VO 2max .…”

“…Two recent studies showed no effects of exergaming on VO 2max when allocating participants to an exergame. However, neither of these studies encompassed a predetermined training frequency 29,30 . Another study, which performed a training intervention similar to the present study, albeit in a smaller sample (seven participants), revealed comparable improvements in CRF after 6 weeks of exergaming 11 .…”

High‐intensity exergaming for improved cardiorespiratory fitness: A randomised, controlled trial

“…Playpulse is a cycling exergaming platform currently consisting of three different exergames. A more detailed description of the Playpulse exergaming platform is found elsewhere (Berg et al, 2020). In short, forward propulsion on the bicycle generates movement in the game, with a faster cadence generating faster movement and other game benefits.…”

“…We are aware of only three studies that have used maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing with measurements of V̇O 2peak or maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O 2max ), the gold standard for assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness, before and after an exergaming intervention. Two of these studies showed no improvements in V̇O 2peak , likely due to an unstructured exergaming protocol without any requirements for the frequency of exergaming (Berg, Wang, Lydersen, & Moholdt, 2020; Owens, Garner, Loftin, van Blerk, & Emin, 2011). The third study indicated that V̇O 2peak could improve after exergaming; however, this study was limited by small sample size ( n = 14) (Warburton et al, 2007).…”

Effectiveness of exergames programme to modify body composition and health‐related physical fitness in adolescents with down syndrome after COVID‐19 quarantine

“…Although scientific evidence supporting the benefits of virtual reality and video games is abundant (Berg et al, 2020), studies in children with special needs are still limited (Alba‐Rueda et al, 2022). It should be noted that in using exergames to modify different health parameters in the child population without ID, different considerations must be considered, such as the selection of games, difficulty, or dosage of the programme (Lau et al, 2016).…”