I'll just say upfront, the study I'm about to tell you about was funded by Nintendo, so take it with a grain of salt, but it seems that some Wii Sports and Wii Fit games actually have an energy expenditure level on par with moderate exercise. From MSNBC:
The most effective exercise in the study was the single-arm stand featured in the Wii fit, which came in at 5.6 METs — just shy of vigorous activity defined as 6.0 or greater.
As I've said before, I have a Wii and I dig playing it, but I still find this trend a little troublesome. Yeah, you might get exercise, but you're not learning anything of value. For example, not only is skateboarding exercise, but it's a great way to get around by burning calories instead of fossil fuels. Sure, you can spend hours playing Tony Hawk: Ride on your Wii and really shred it up -- but you're still not going to be able to ride your real skateboard to school.
My friend Omar is unstoppable at Wii Tennis, but he couldn't return a real serve if his racket had a two-foot wide face and someone was lobbing hand grenades at him. Admittedly, the odds of getting into this situation are slim, but you see my point. If you have a Wii, you need to be intimately aware of its coolest feature -- the off button.
All that said, if Santa brings me Tony Hawk: Ride for Christmas, you'll hear no complaints, considering I'm getting a little tired of Omar creaming me at tennis.
I think it's cool for kids who insist on playing video games. Obviously it shouldn't replace actual activity, but if your kids beg to be able to play games, then at least they're getting some activity with it as well. And I understand how skateboarding games and the like could be fun in the winter when you can't actually get outside and do that (at least, in places where it actually snows you can't).
ReplyDeleteYeah, you're right. Also, my five-year-old and I have been having some major bonding sessions lately over Mario Kart, but still, it's important to know when to say when.
ReplyDeleteIf it's snowing, get a sled!