A few months ago, we had reported that a Canadian gymnasium was using the Nintendo Wii and even had a workout station! In fact, many people were impressed by the next generation console when it was released as they thought it would provide some kind of exercise to obese kids.
However, the British Medical Journal is reporting about a study that indicates that the more active form of input provided by the Nintendo Wii does not offer enough activity to fight childhood obesity.
The study, which was conducted by Professor Gareth Stratton and a team at John Moore’s University in Liverpool, took five girls and six boys who were aged between 13-15 years and evaluated the number of calories that they burned playing Microsoft’s Xbox 360 versus playing the Wii. The results pointed that the children burned 60 calories (in nutrition terms) more an hour playing Wii, a 2% increase in the amount of energy burned versus the Xbox 360 players.
The study also mentioned that gaming on a Wii got usually inactive kids on their feet and moving and said that such positive behaviors should be encouraged. What’s interesting to note is that the study was funded by the marketing division of Nintendo. The conclusion of the study also called for further research to investigate the energy demands of active gaming across sexes, ages as well as consoles.