Children who play movement-based video games expend moderate to high levels of energy — more, for most games tested, than they do when walking, according to a small study. The researchers studied 39 boys and girls with a mean age of 11.5 years, measuring the activity and enjoyment levels for six games, and compared the results to rest and walking 3 miles per hour on a treadmill. The energy expended on a treadmill, measured as the mean metabolic equivalent task value, was 4.9, while the most vigorous game resulted in a value of 7.1, for Sportwall.
Children with BMIs in the 85th percentile or higher, who are at risk for adult obesity, showed more enjoyment in some of the games compared with slimmer kids. Heavier children especially enjoyed Sportwall, which has kids work in teams with shorter bursts of more intense physical activity. There were six games measured for their energy expenditure after 10 minutes, including Wii Boxing (at 4.2, the lowest value).
Bruce Bailey of Brigham Young University conceived of the study after researchers built a new fitness and research center at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.
BOTTOM LINE: Children who play physical video games expend moderate to high levels of energy.
CAUTIONS: Since kids tested each game once, the study cannot predict whether they would continue to use the games.
WHERE TO FIND IT: Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, online. MARY PARKER 
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