Video center games: Energy cost and children's behaviors

Time spent playing video games has been linked to increases in childhood obesity and sedentary behavior. However, new generation video games require total body movement and greater physical exertion. The aim of this study was to describe children's behavior and energy expenditure while visiting video game centers. Observations were undertaken on 134 children's activity patterns while playing at a video game center. The energy cost of 10 children (5 male and 5 female) aged 12.5 +/- 0.5 yr, playing 4 popular video games was then measured. Gross energy cost ranged from 7.6 to 26.5 ml(.)kg(-1.)min(-1). Based on our observations, we estimate that the gross energy expenditure during a child's typical session in a video game center will range from 2.3-2.6 METS.