Gaming Like An Athlete Has Benefits

New research is proving that those who hop on a video game bike instead of a stationary bike burn up more energy and improve their chances of staying active.
         “While there’s been a lot of discussion about whether interactive video games really do provide health benefits there’s been very little focused research in this area,” says UVic exercise psychologist Ryan Rhodes. “Our studies are providing the first results that suggest active video games are good for you.”
         Rhodes has led or participated in two recent studies that compared video game (VG) cycling to stationary cycling and examined the impact of VG cycling on maintaining that new year’s exercise regime.
         In one study Rhodes and his team took 29 inactive young men, measured their attitude to maintaining a fitness program and put them in two groups: one using a video game bike and one cycling to self-selected music. After six weeks, the VG cyclists were about 30 per cent more likely to be adhering to their exercise program.
         In the second study researchers measured the cardiorespiratory exertion of seven men and seven women on both VG bikes and stationary bikes during a series of tests. “The study showed for the first time that the video game cycling has higher metabolic requirements than stationary cycling,” says Rhodes, adding that interactive cycling burns between 25 and 60 per cent more calories in 30 minutes.
         Rhodes says he’d like to compare VG cycling to outdoor cycling to see if the results hold and plans to expand his research within the community.
 

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