Debra+A.+Lieberman

1 "Exergaming is popular in the US and research is finding that it can improve players’ stress levels, weight management, fitness, and health." 2 "Some play exergames to get a good workout, and others play mainly for entertainment and social interaction but they enjoy the health benefits as an added bonus. There are players who were not very active in the past and have found that playing exergames is a manageable and acceptable way to get regular exercise. " 3 "The most researched exergames are dance video games, such as Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), by Konami, and In the Groove, by RedOctane, which have sold millions of console copies in the US and are also popular in video game arcades. Dance video game players span a wide demographic range, across age, gender, weight level, and fitness level." 4 "A study of young adults who play DDR, ages 18 to 27, found that they played for the following reasons, in descending order of importance to them, on average: to have fun, play with other people, work out, dance, meet other people who play DDR, enjoy the challenge of the game, and be admired by others for their skill" 5 "EyeToy: Kinetic offers a variety of workouts, ranging from combat, in which players kick and punch images of falling objects; to active cardio exercises, gym workouts, and karate moves; to toning exercises, yoga, and tai-chi." 6 "A study with 22 overweight and normal weight children ages 11-17 found that DDR increases players’ heart rates so that they obtain an aerobic workout and gain cardio-physiological benefits, even at the easiest levels of the game...The overweight children expended more energy to play than did normal weight children, but all raised their heart rate enough to reach an effective aerobic workout level. " 7 "Another study looked at the exercise intensity of playing DDR at a medium level of difficulty and found that it met official standards for developing and maintaining cardio-respiratory fitness in an active and aerobically fit population." 8 "A third study, with 35 adolescents in Pennsylvania, found that DDR raised participants’ heart rates to double their resting level during a 45-minute period, on average, and this is evidence that playing DDR playing can achieve and sustain an aerobic exercise effect throughout a workout period." 9 "Another study identified the impacts of the game on students in 20 West Virginia schools that used DDR in physical education and health classes, and found that some of the youngsters lost five to ten pounds after playing the game every day during the first few weeks " 10 " [35 overweight children ages 7 to 12] developed stronger self-esteem, on average, improved their aerobic fitness, and reduced their chances for developing diseases associated with obesity, such as diabetes and heart disease...Study participants’ parents reported that most of the children stopped gaining their typical three or four pounds a month" 11 "Research is finding that exergames are highly appealing, motivating, and fun, and they offer compelling game challenges, a chance to perform athletically or expressively for others, and a way to meet and interact with others in friendships and in communities."