Nintendo Wii Sports Boxing-A pilot study according to energy expenditure, observed motion, and sport science students’ perceptions

Video games have become increasingly popular in our society. More and more new manufactured games include real physical activity. Because of this, the aim of the following study is to investigate whether playing Nintendo Wii Sports has an effect on selected aspects of health promotion. The subject of this study is the boxing game within the Nintendo Wii Sports bundle. Fifteen sport science students (eight males and seven females, M (age)=24+1.69 years) took part in the study. To measure the physical activity level while playing, the students were attached with five accelerometers (two right above the ankles, two right above the wrists, and one at the right hip) plus one Heart rate sensor on the chest. The students were videotaped using two cameras simultaneously. The participants completed a questionnaire relating to health aspects and immediate gaming experience right after playing the game. The result of this study shows that there are indications of a positive effect for energy expenditure (average EE=8.27 kJ/min.) while playing the Nintendo Wii Sports boxing game. There is a positive tendency that this video game might lead to a healthy lifestyle and health promotion for sedentary individuals regarding the findings.