Psych Study on Video Games Reducing Obesity

     I am sure you have heard all the negative things people have said about video games, and one of the biggest ones being that video games can cause obesity in children and even adults. This has always been something that people say about video games since they were created. What if I told you that many video games actually can do the opposite? These days video games have evolved into being more than just sitting in front of your computer or television for hours. We have innovative games now that promote good health and activeness. 

Video Games v.s Childhood Obesity

      Video games have a negative connotation to them that remains attached to them, even though video games have evolved immensely throughout the years. According to Wrvo.org, Dr. Amanda Staiano, has done intensive research to prove that video games can actually help reduce childhood obesity rather than encourage it. Her study focuses on exergames, which are games that are "activity-promoting," and involve movement. Dr. Staiano makes an important point in the TED talk she gave saying that many parents around the world are hesitant to let their kids play outside these days. This is surprising to many of us, considering playing outside was an everyday thing a few years ago. However, we must consider the different living situation for these different families. Some people live in dangerous areas (which is more common today) and feel it is unsafe for their children to play outside all the time. Other live in areas where the weather isn't nice enough for children to play outside all the time. So, although playing outdoors is the ideal workout for children, that is not always the most practical. This is where exergames come in handy, because kids can work up the same sweat they would get outdoors in the comfort of their own homes. One of the main things people ask about this study is, "what if the child gets bored?" or, "what happens after the game is over in 3 minutes?" The answer to that is, games have almost an addictive aspect to them. Video game creators use cognitive flow to make sure that the game is goal oriented and is challenging enough to keep the player interested for longer periods of time. There is also the option of buying different exergames rather than just one to keep the excitement there. The way these kids hearts start to race, and they start to sweat is a clear indication that video games can be affective to weight loss. 

What Games?

        There are a lot of games out in the world right now that would be considered an exergame and will get your kids to sweat. One of the most popular being all of the dancing games including Dance Central and Just Dance, or even Dance Dance Revolution which can be found in arcades. These are often the most popular, especially in the younger community because there are a lot of aspects of the game that keep the player excited and interested. These games include trendy songs by their favorite artists, and they have a competing mode where you can compete against another player for the highest score and the best moves! This turns "working out," into a fun activity. There are even settings in the games where you can have the dances last up to 30 minutes long, almost the length of a full workout. Another game that keeps the player extremely active is Wii sports which was developed by Nintendo. You can virtually play sports like tennis, boxing, bowling and baseball. Lastly, there is a game called Zumba fitness which literally promotes good health and activeness. 

Final Thoughts

         Although I don't believe video games are the solution to childhood obesity, I do think it is important to give video games a fair chance at being able to promote good health. I don't think the stigma of video games promoting obesity should remain, due to the fact that video games continue to evolve along with the rest of the world.

Link:
http://wrvo.org/post/how-video-games-may-be-able-reduce-childhood-obesity