Background : Exertion games are video games that require exercise. They are widely presented as health interventions, to encourage sedentary populations to take exercise at levels recommended by health professionals. Objectives : We consider whether games encourage acute exercise at levels sufficient to engender exercise-related health benefits, and in what conditions that occurs. Methods : In this article, we performed a scoping review of empirical research that examines whether exertion game play engenders exercise, searching Google Scholar, Scopus, and PubMed. Results : From 3171 search records, we found 243 studies of acute short-term exercise in games. While some observed moderate levels of exertion, players of many games fail to meet recommended levels. Few games encouraged vigorous levels seen in sports. Variation in results for games across different studies suggests that exertion motivation is highly dependent on nongame contextual factors. There is evidence games make exercise more enjoyable or reduce perceived exertion, but many studies suffer the methodological problem of comparison with boring control conditions. Conclusions : Exergames have only been found comparable to exercise such as walking, jogging, and dancing under very specific circumstances. To improve evidence for games as exercise interventions, we must improve study designs and focus on understanding better the circumstances likely to bring about genuine exergame exercise.

中文翻译：

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运动游戏是锻炼吗？运动游戏短期影响的范围审查

背景 ：运动游戏是需要运动的视频游戏。它们被广泛用作健康干预措施，以鼓励久坐不动的人群按照卫生专业人员建议的水平进行锻炼。目标 ：我们考虑游戏是否鼓励剧烈运动，其水平足以产生与运动相关的健康益处，以及在什么情况下会发生。 方法 ：在本文中，我们对实证研究进行了范围审查，该研究调查了运动游戏是否会产生锻炼，搜索 Google Scholar、Scopus 和 PubMed。 结果 ：从 3171 条搜索记录中，我们发现了 243 项关于游戏中的急性短期锻炼的研究。虽然有些人观察到中等程度的努力，但许多游戏的玩家未能达到推荐的水平。很少有比赛能鼓励体育运动中的活力水平。不同研究中游戏结果的差异表明，运动动机高度依赖于非游戏背景因素。有证据表明，游戏使锻炼更愉快或减少了感知的劳累，但许多研究都面临与无聊的控制条件进行比较的方法论问题。结论 ：只有在非常特殊的情况下才发现，Exergames 可与步行、慢跑和跳舞等运动相媲美。为了改进游戏作为运动干预的证据，我们必须改进研究设计并专注于更好地了解可能带来真正的运动游戏锻炼的情况。