More than half of U.S. adults play video games with one in five playing daily or almost every day.¹  Video games are gaining popularity, especially those that use arm gestures and motions or force plates to control the system.  Sedentary individuals who like video games may find these more active types of video games attractive.  But is the intensity of these video games high enough to provide health benefits?

Japanese² researchers investigated the energy cost of theWii Fit Plus videos for yoga, resistance, balance and aerobic exercise and Wii Sports including golf, bowling, baseball, tennis and boxing.  They measured caloric expenditure in a special airtight room called a metabolic chamber while subjects performed each activity for eight minutes. 

Researchers measured the intensity of each video activity in units called metabolic equivalents (METs).  Resting energy expenditure is defined as 1 MET; if you are exercising at 3 METs then the intensity of the activity is three times resting.  According to the American College of Sports Medicine, an activity must reach a level of moderate intensity to provide health benefits.  Moderate intensity exercise is defined as an intensity of 3-6 METs.  Vigorous activities have an intensity >6 METs.

Results of the study showed that Wii balance exercises and yoga were below the minimum intensity of 3 METs.  These exercises produced only light activity levels which were not adequate to provide health benefits.  Many but not all the resistance training and aerobic exercises met the minimum 3 MET criteria and would be considered adequate to provide health benefits.  Of the Wii Sports activities, boxing had the highest energy expenditure averaging just over 4 METs.  Tennis and baseball averaged 3 METs with golf and bowling <3 METs.  None of the sports or fitness activities were considered vigorous activity. 

The activity guidelines for health benefits are 30 minutes of moderate intensity (3-6 METs) activity performed 5 days/week. Some of the Wii sports games and fitness activities are sufficient to meet these minimum guidelines and could be used to meet part of the recommended 150 minutes of activity per week.  However, many of the games (about 2/3 of those tested) provide only light activity (<3 METs) and do not meet the criteria.  For this reason it is important to choose games requiring the greatest energy expenditure.  It is also important to note that 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity is the amount recommended for health benefits like improving cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.  If an individual’s goal is weight loss, the recommendation for activity is 300 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week. 

Worth noting, the Wii Sports games and Wii Fit Plus aerobic exercise videos expend fewer calories than performance of the actual sport or exercise itself.  There is not much horizontal movement involved in playing Wii games; the added movement increases energy expenditure when playing the real sport or aerobic exercise.  So if you get the opportunity select the actual activity or sport to get the most fitness improvements and the greatest caloric expenditure.

1.  Lenhart, A. Jones, S., and Macgill, A. (2008). Adults and video games. In: Pew  Internet and American Lift Project. 2008 [cited July 1, 2009]. Available from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/Adults-and-Video-Games.aspx

2.  Miyachi, M, Yomamoto, K, Ohkawara, K, Tanaka, S. (2010). METs in Adults While Playing Active Video Games: A Metabolic Chamber Study. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 42(6), 1149-1153.