Background/Purpose : The project synthesized the published studies investigating the physiological and psychological effects of exergaming among children and adults via meta-analysis.
Methods: A comprehensive review was conducted to identify studies published by April 2012 that compared the effects of performing exergaming with sedentary video games (SVGs) and traditional exercises. Studies (N=31) that met the inclusion criteria were identified for analysis. Effect size (g), standard error (SE) and confidence intervals (CI) were calculated based upon study means, standard deviations, sample sizes, p value and t value.
Analysis/Results : The results showed that exergaming yielded more energy expenditure (EE; g = .61; SE = .04; 95% CI = .53-.70; p < .001), higher heart rates (HR; g = .61; SE = .05; 95% CI = .51-.71; p < .001) and VO2 (g = .63; SE = .05; 95% CI = .54-.71; p < .001) as compared with SVGs. There were no significant differences between the effects of exergaming and traditional exercises on these outcomes. For the psychological effects (e.g., enjoyment, fun), exergaming demonstrated more benefits than SVGs (g = .60; SE = .12; 95% CI = .36-.83; p < .001) and traditional exercises (g = .45; SE = .13; 95% CI = .21-.70; p < .001).
Conclusions: Performing exergaming has demonstrated more physiological and psychological benefits than SVGs. Also, exergaming could bring more positive psychological effects for individuals as compared to traditional exercise. Therefore, exergaming can be an effective approach for physical activity interventions.