THE ENERGY COST OF WHOLE BODY VIDEO GAME PARTICIPATION
R. M. Otto, D Buckley, S Andrews, A Georges, G Picard, John W. Wygand · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 2001
The introduction of a video game (Trap Attack by TrazerTM) in which the participant physically moves by reacting to a computer screen and their movement is tracked in three planes, may provide motivation for children or adults to participate in an unconventional exercise program. To quantify the metabolic and cardiovascular response to this novel form of exercise, eight subjects (age 26.1 ± 7.3 yr., ht. 168 ± 7.8 cm., and body mass 67.7 ± 10.6 kg.) volunteered to participate in both a low level (LL) and moderate level (ML) video exercise game. The game requires omni-directional movement in a random series of short (0.5–2.0 meter) movements in pursuit of targets while avoiding obstacles. Intensity of the game is dictated by the player's reaction to the frequency and speed of the stimuli. Familiarization trials required all subjects to train for a minimum of 60 minutes in sessions of at least 15 minutes. Open circuit spirometry was used in all trials and horizontal displacement (HD), RPE and blood lactate (BL) were measured during each five-minute trial. The following data were obtained:TableStatistical analysis by t test*(p < .05) revealed significant difference between LL and ML trials. The energy cost of 5.6 and 10.1 METS correspond to a kcal expenditure of 6.4 and 12.2 kcal/min, for the LL and ML trials, respectively. This type of activity should be considered moderate to hard intensity based on the ACSM %HRmax classification of physical activity intensity. Despite the low volume of horizontal displacement, energy cost was comparable to walking at 80 m/min @ 5% grade for LL and running at 160 m/min for the ML trial. This whole body video game concomitantly provides a metabolic stimulus, a cardiovascular challenge and entertainment for the participant.