Active Video Games Improve Muscular Fitness and Motor Skills in Children with Overweight or Obesity.

(1) Background: Childhood obesity is an important public health problem. Children with overweight or obesity often tend to show the pediatric inactivity triad components; these involve exercise deficit disorder, pediatric dynapenia, and physical illiteracy. The aim of the study was to examine the influence of an active video games (AVG) intervention combined with multicomponent exercise on muscular fitness, physical activity (PA), and motor skills in children with overweight or obesity. (2) Methods: A total of 29 (13 girls) children (10.07 ± 0.84 years) with overweight or obesity were randomly allocated in the intervention group (AVG group; n = 21) or in the control group (CG; n = 8). The intervention group performed a 5-month AVG training using the Xbox 360® with the Kinect, the Nintendo Wii®, dance mats, and the BKOOL® interactive cycling simulator, combined with multicomponent exercise, performing three sessions per week. The control group continued their daily activities without modification. Weight, PA using accelerometers, and motor competence using the Test of Gross Motor Development 3rd edition were measured. Muscular fitness was evaluated through the Counter Movement Jump height, maximal isometric strength of knee extension and handgrip strength, and lean mass using Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry. Mann−Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were performed. The biserial correlation coefficients (r) were calculated. Spearman's correlation coefficients among PA, muscular fitness, and motor competence variables were also calculated. (3) Results: The AVG group significantly increased their knee extension maximal isometric strength (4.22 kg; p < 0.01), handgrip strength (1.93 kg; p < 0.01), and jump height (1.60 cm; p < 0.01), while the control group only increased the knee extension maximal isometric strength (3.15 kg; p < 0.01). The AVG group improved motor competence and light physical activity (p < 0.05) and decreased sedentary time (p < 0.05). Lean mass improved in both AVG group and CG (p < 0.05). Lastly, the percentage of improvement of motor skills positively correlated with the percentage of improvement in vigorous PA (r = 0.673; p = 0.003) and the percentage of improvement in CMJ (r = 0.466; p = 0.039). (4) Conclusions: A 5-month intervention combining AVG with multicomponent training seems to have positive effects on muscle fitness, motor competence, and PA in children with overweight or obesity.

Adolescent Internet gaming addiction and personality characteristics by game genre.

With the emergence of a new concept called 'Internet Gaming Disorder' in DSM-5 and ICD-11, related research is underway around the globe. However, not enough literature on Internet gaming addiction has considered the diversity in game genres. Internet gaming addiction may take on a different form according to the particular characteristics of a game being played. To better understand adolescent Internet gaming addiction, this study sought to identify the differences in Internet gaming addiction and personality characteristics based on the game genre played. A total of 3,217 elementary and middle school students across Korea participated in the survey that included the Maladaptive Game Use Scale and the Adolescent Personality Questionnaire. ANOVA analysis revealed that Internet gaming addiction and personality characteristics varied according to the game genre played. In particular, post-hoc tests showed that Real-Time Strategy (RTS) and First-Person Shooter (FPS) game users have higher levels of tolerance, withdrawal, and neglect of everyday life compared to other genres such as Role-Playing Game (RPG), Racing, and Arcade/Shooting. Also, Internet gamers users of particular genres showed significantly lower self-esteem (Arcade/Shooting), conscientiousness (Racing), empathy (RPG), and sense of community (Racing and RTS) scores than comparison group. The implications of the study results were discussed with a special emphasis on Internet gaming addiction interventions.

EEG in game user analysis: A framework for expertise classification during gameplay.

Video games have become a ubiquitous part of demographically diverse cultures. Numerous studies have focused on analyzing the cognitive aspects involved in game playing that could help in providing an optimal gaming experience by improving video game design. To this end, we present a framework for classifying the game player's expertise level using wearable electroencephalography (EEG) headset. We hypothesize that expert and novice players' brain activity is different, which can be classified using frequency domain features extracted from EEG signals of the game player. A systematic channel reduction approach is presented using a correlation-based attribute evaluation method. This approach lead us in identifying two significant EEG channels, i.e., AF3 and P7, among fourteen channels available in Emotiv EPOC headset. In particular, features extracted from these two EEG channels contributed the most to the video game player's expertise level classification. This finding is validated by performing statistical analysis (t-test) over the extracted features. Moreover, among multiple classifiers used, K-nearest neighbor is the best classifier in classifying game player's expertise level with a classification accuracy of up to 98.04% (without data balancing) and 98.33% (with data balancing).

El diagnóstico de adicción a videojuegos en el DSM-5 y la CIE-11: Retos y oportunidades para clínicos / The diagnosis of video game addiction in the DSM-5 and the ICD-11: Challenges and opportunities for clinicians

El trastorno de juego por internet (conocida como adicción a videojuegos) se caracteriza por un patrón de comportamiento de juego persistente y recurrente que conlleva un deterioro o malestar clínicamente significativo por un periodo de 12 meses. El objetivo del presente análisis del estado de la cuestión es comentar los retos y oportunidades del DSM-5 y la CIE-11 para su diagnóstico dada su actualidad y su rápida evolución. Para ello se revisan las posibles adicciones tecnológicas que no están incluidas en el DSM-5, sus ventajas y retos y oportunidades y se comentan algunos de ellos: gravedad de los síntomas y del trastorno, el riesgo de patologizar la vida cotidiana, edad de la población afectada, los juegos freemium y los pay-to-play, los e-Sports y la cartera de servicios de salud

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) (formerly known as video game addiction) is characterized by a pattern of persistent and recurring video game behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distress for a period of 12 months. The objective of the following state-of-the-art analysis is to comment on the challenges and opportunities of the DSM-5 and ICD-11 regarding the diagnosis of IGD that is still being developed. With this purpose in mind, possible technological addictions that are not included in the DSM-5 are reviewed and some of their advantages, challenges, and opportunities are commented on, including severity of effects, age of the most affected population, freemium vs. pay-to-play games, the risk of pathologizing daily life, e-Sports, and the health services portfolio

Exploring the Specificity, Synergy, and Durability of Auditory and Visual Computer Gameplay Transfer Effects in Healthy Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether auditory and visual computer games yield transfer effects that (a) are modality-specific to verbal memory (auditory stimulus presentation) and visual-processing tests, (b) affect working memory and processing speed, (c) are synergistic for combined game-type play, and (d) are durable. METHOD: A Pilot Study (N = 44) assessed visual transfer effects in a two-group pre-post design. The Main Study (N = 151) employed a 2 (visual games: yes, no) × 2 (auditory games: yes, no) × 3 (test session: pretest, post-test, follow-up) design, allowing different training groups to act as active controls for each other. Neuropsychological test scores were aggregated into verbal-memory (auditory presentation), visual-processing, working-memory, and processing-speed indexes. RESULTS: Visual-processing and working-memory pre-post-training change scores were differentially modulated across the four gameplay groups in the main sample, demonstrating transfer effects differing across both active- and passive-control groups. Visual training yielded modality-specific transfer effects in both samples, transfer to working memory in the main sample, and transfer to processing speed in the pilot sample. There were no comparable transfer effects for auditory training. Combined-visual-and-auditory training failed to yield synergistic effects or any significant transfer effects. Visual-processing transfer effects remained significant at follow-up. DISCUSSION: Visual and auditory games differentially modulated transfer effects. Domain-specific visual transfer effects were found at post-test and were durable at follow-up. Visual gameplay holds potential to ameliorate age-related cognitive decline in visual cognition.

Tobacco Content in Video Games: Categorization of Tobacco Imagery and Gamer Recall.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco content has been identified in popular video games played by adolescents. To date, there are no established instruments for categorizing tobacco content. We describe development and demonstrate the use of an instrument to categorize types of tobacco content. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with 61 participants: 20 adolescents (mean age 17.7), and 41 adults (mean age 23.9), who discussed favorite games and recalled tobacco content. All games mentioned were examined for tobacco content by watching movies of game play on YouTube, examining individual game Wiki sites, and reviewing content descriptors provided by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), Common Sense Media, and the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). A typology of tobacco content was created and correlated with gamer recall of tobacco content. RESULTS: Participants together mentioned 366 games, of which 152 were unique. Tobacco content was verified in 39.5% (60/152) of games. Six categories of content were identified, including "no tobacco content." Of games containing tobacco, 88% (53/60) contained at least two categories of content. Games with more categories were associated with greater gamer recall of tobacco content. CONCLUSION: Tobacco content is present in video games and consciously recalled by players, with higher accuracy of recall associated with games featuring multiple types of tobacco content and more engaging, player-active content. IMPLICATIONS: Playing video games is now a daily part of most adolescents' lives. Tobacco content is present in many popular games. Currently there are no published instruments to assist in categorizing tobacco content in video games. This study describes a systematic approach to categorize tobacco content in video games and demonstrates that games featuring more categories of tobacco content are associated with more accurate gamer recall of the presence of tobacco content when compared with games with fewer categories of content. Understanding the extent of such content will be essential in formulating tobacco control strategies to address tobacco content in games.

Sexual content in video games: an analysis of the Entertainment Software Rating Board classification from 1994 to 2013.

Background Video games are widely used by children and adolescents and have become a significant source of exposure to sexual content. Despite evidence of the important role of media in the development of sexual attitudes and behaviours, little attention has been paid to monitor sexual content in video games. METHODS: Data was obtained about sexual content and rating for 23722 video games from 1994 to 2013 from the Entertainment Software Rating Board database; release dates and information on the top 100 selling video games was also obtained. A yearly prevalence of sexual content according to rating categories was calculated. Trends and comparisons were estimated using Joinpoint regression. RESULTS: Sexual content was present in 13% of the video games. Games rated 'Mature' had the highest prevalence of sexual content (34.5%) followed by 'Teen' (30.7%) and 'E10+' (21.3%). Over time, sexual content decreased in the 'Everyone' category, 'E10+' maintained a low prevalence and 'Teen' and 'Mature' showed a marked increase. Both top and non-top video games showed constant increases, with top selling video games having 10.1% more sexual content across the period of study. CONCLUSION: Over the last 20 years, the prevalence of sexual content has increased in video games with a 'Teen' or 'Mature' rating. Further studies are needed to quantify the potential association between sexual content in video games and sexual behaviour in children and adolescents.

Physical Activity Levels in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder When Playing Active and Sedentary Xbox Kinect Videogames.

OBJECTIVE: We compare physical activity during bouts of sedentary videogaming (SVG), active videogaming (AVG), and paced walking in children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to determine the effectiveness of AVG in providing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Participants included nine males (8-11 years old) with ASD and eight age-matched males who were typically developing. Both groups had anthropometric and motor proficiency (Movement Assessment Battery for Children II) measures taken before testing. Participants attended three randomly assigned acquisition sessions: 20 minutes of paced walking at 4.5 metabolic equivalents, AVG, and SVG. Videogaming occurred on an Xbox® Kinect. An Actical accelerometer provided activity counts (AC) and percentage of time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (%MVPA). These were compared using 3 × 2 repeated measures analysis of variance for each measure. RESULTS: Main effects for conditions existed for %MVPA (P < 0.0001) and AC (P < 0.0001). Post hoc Bonferroni comparisons indicated that AVG had significantly higher AC (P < 0.001) and % MVPA (P < 0.001) than SVG, but was significantly lower than paced walking (AC P < 0.001; %MVPA P < 0.01). Overall, participants spent 76.25% of their time in MVPA during AVG compared to 99.4% during paced walking and 2.31% in SVG. No main effects for groups or group by condition interaction effects were found for either measure. CONCLUSIONS: AVG may provide an appealing means by which all individuals can increase their overall physical activity levels, although AVG should not be seen as a replacement for walking or other forms of PA. Although further research is necessary, the finding that both groups performed similarly in AVG suggests that games can potentially be played without modifications or adaptations to gaming units, which may provide several advantages in terms of social/cost/ease of accessing unit.

Influence of Exergaming on the Perception of Cancer-Related Fatigue.

OBJECTIVE: Exercise is recommended for cancer patients to reduce fatigue and improve quality of life. This study's aim is to evaluate the influence of an exergaming protocol on cancer-related fatigue, muscle fatigue, and muscle strength in cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a quasi-experimental control study using exergaming in all groups through an Xbox360 Kinect™ console, two to three times per week, for 20 sessions. Three groups were created: cancer patients in chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy group (CRG; n:15), cancer patients after chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy (CAG; n:15), and a control group (CG; n:15). They were assessed for cancer-related fatigue using the fatigue subscale of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) questionnaire. To assess dorsiflexor and plantar flexor muscle functioning, we used median frequency (MDF) of the surface electromyography and muscle strength using a dynamometer. The assessments were performed preintervention (EV0), after 10 sessions (EV1), and after 20 sessions (EV2). RESULTS: With an exergaming protocol, CRG and CAG showed a reduction in related fatigue compared with CG (P < 0.01). The CRG group saw an increase in maximal voluntary isometric contraction in right plantar flexor muscles and dorsiflexor muscles, as well as an increase in the MDF of both medial gastrocnemius muscles and the left tibialis anterior muscle of the CAG. For other analyses done, the differences were observed during exergaming. CONCLUSIONS: Exergaming demonstrated efficacy in reducing cancer patients' fatigue, including muscle fatigue, and increasing muscle strength in patients' legs.

A Pilot Study of the Attractive Features of Active Videogames Among Chinese Primary School Children.

OBJECTIVE: The present study (1) explored the attractive features that affect Chinese primary school children's preferences of active videogames (AVGs) and (2) contrasted these findings with those in the Western literature. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: A total of 22 Chinese primary school children were recruited and interviewed. Four AVGs (Wii "Boxing," "Wii Fit™ Plus Obstacle Run"; "EyeToy Knockout", "EyeToy Keep ups") from two commercial consoles (Nintendo® Wii™ and Sony PlayStation® 2 "EyeToy®") were employed. Participants used four selected AVGs for 3 minutes each. After each play period, children (1) described the strengths and weaknesses of each game as well as rated the attractive features of each game based on a 16-item questionnaire and (2) rated up to 5 items that were most influential regarding their AVG preferences. RESULTS: Participants indicated that control was the most significant feature, followed by feedback, goal, and graphics. The top five rated features imply that the perception of competence was the most appealing aspect and expected outcome of Chinese children who play AVGs. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the Western findings regarding attractive AVG features, the present study found certain similarities as well as significant differences among Chinese AVG players. Based on the present study, control, feedback, goal, and graphics are the most significant features that attract Chinese children to play AVGs. Physical exertion, social interaction, competition, and learning outcomes, which are valued according to Western studies, were not mentioned as significant features by Chinese children. These findings demonstrate a need to investigate the effect of cultural background in AVG study design.

Balancing for Gross Motor Ability in Exergaming Between Youth with Cerebral Palsy at Gross Motor Function Classification System Levels II and III.

OBJECTIVE: To test how three custom-built balancing algorithms minimize differences in game success, time above 40% heart rate reserve (HRR), and enjoyment between youth with cerebral palsy (CP) who have different gross motor function capabilities. Youth at Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level II (unassisted walking) and level III (mobility aids needed for walking) competed in a cycling-based exercise video game that tested three balancing algorithms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three algorithms: a control (generic-balancing [GB]), a constant non-person specific (One-Speed-For-All [OSFA]), and a person-specific (Target-Cadence [TC]) algorithms were built. In this prospective repeated measures intervention trial with randomized and blinded algorithm assignment, 10 youth with CP aged 10-16 years (X ± standard deviation = 12.4 ± 1.8 years; GMFCS level II n = 4, III n = 6) played six exergaming sessions using each of the three algorithms. Outcomes included game success as measured by a normalized game score, time above 40% HRR, and enjoyment. RESULTS: The TC algorithm balanced game success between GMFCS levels similarly to GB (P = 0.11) and OSFA (P = 0.41). TC showed poorer balancing in time above 40% HRR compared to GB (P = 0.02) and OSFA (P = 0.02). Enjoyment ratings were high (6.4 ± 0.7/7) and consistent between all algorithms (TC vs. GB: P = 0.80 and TC vs. OSFA: P = 0.19). CONCLUSION: TC shows promise in balancing game success and enjoyment but improvements are needed to balance between GMFCS levels for cardiovascular exercise.

Serious Games for Health: The Potential of Metadata.

OBJECTIVE: Numerous serious games and health games exist, either as commercial products (typically with a focus on entertaining a broad user group) or smaller games and game prototypes, often resulting from research projects (typically tailored to a smaller user group with a specific health characteristic). A major drawback of existing health games is that they are not very well described and attributed with (machine-readable, quantitative, and qualitative) metadata such as the characterizing goal of the game, the target user group, or expected health effects well proven in scientific studies. This makes it difficult or even impossible for end users to find and select the most appropriate game for a specific situation (e.g., health needs). Therefore, the aim of this article was to motivate the need and potential/benefit of metadata for the description and retrieval of health games and to describe a descriptive model for the qualitative description of games for health. It was not the aim of the article to describe a stable, running system (portal) for health games. This will be addressed in future work. METHODS: Building on previous work toward a metadata format for serious games, a descriptive model for the formal description of games for health is introduced. For the conceptualization of this model, classification schemata of different existing health game repositories are considered. The classification schema consists of three levels: a core set of mandatory descriptive fields relevant for all games for health application areas, a detailed level with more comprehensive, optional information about the games, and so-called extension as level three with specific descriptive elements relevant for dedicated health games application areas, for example, cardio training. CONCLUSION: A metadata format provides a technical framework to describe, find, and select appropriate health games matching the needs of the end user. Future steps to improve, apply, and promote the metadata format in the health games market are discussed.

Improving Psychosocial Well-Being of Older Adults Through Exergaming: The Moderation Effects of Intergenerational Communication and Age Cohorts.

OBJECTIVE: Exergaming is one way to foster social interaction among older adults and to improve their psychosocial well-being, which is a crucial component of healthy aging. This study examined how exergaming affects older adults' social anxiousness, sociability, and loneliness, and it further analyzed differences in the exergaming effects across different types of game play and between different aging cohorts. METHOD: A 2 (pre-test vs. post-test) × 2 (young-old vs. old-old) × 3 (play alone vs. play with elderly vs. play with youths) mixed quasi-experiment (N = 89) was conducted in Singapore, and three-way MANOVAs were executed. RESULTS: Results showed a significant three-way interaction effect among exergaming, play type, and age group on older adults' psychosocial well-being. There was a significant decline in social anxiousness and an increase in sociability for young-old participants playing with youths. The sociability improved significantly for old-old participants playing with their peers. There was also a significant decrease in loneliness after exergaming, but little differences were found across different play types or age groups. DISCUSSION: The findings made contributions to aging research and shed light on our understanding about how to foster social interaction among older adults and, thus, promote healthy and active aging.

Cancer Survivors Who Play Recreational Computer Games: Motivations for Playing and Associations with Beneficial Psychological Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Playing recreational videogames is a common activity, yet little is known about its role in the lives of people who are coping with serious illness. These individuals may experience depression and isolation and may turn to games to help alleviate negative experiences and support well-being. We explored these possibilities in the context of cancer survivors. The study aimed to discover motivations underlying game play and the extent to which motivations are associated with psychological health and well-being. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of survivors who play recreational games (N = 794). Key variables were motivations and indicators of psychological health, including self-efficacy in cancer communications, resilient coping, and beliefs that one is living a fulfilling and meaningful life (flourishing). RESULTS: Participants were most likely to be motivated to play for stimulation and a sense of accomplishment (intrinsic rewards), followed by development of self, sense of community, and personal affirmation. Multiple regression analyses revealed positive associations between playing for intrinsic rewards and all three psychological health outcomes. Playing for a sense of community was also positively associated with coping and flourishing. CONCLUSION: Playing recreational videogames, particularly to receive intrinsic rewards and to connect with others, may play a supportive role in the psychological health of survivors. Findings suggest future areas for research and implications for development of serious games.

Content Analysis of Anti-Tobacco Videogames: Characteristics, Content, and Qualities.

OBJECTIVE: Although the prevalence of adolescent smoking has declined over the past two decades, the rate of decline has slowed. Electronic videogames show promise as an effective tool for health behavior change; however, the current state of tobacco prevention and cessation games has not been previously reviewed or evaluated. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Currently available tobacco-related videogames were identified through online searches and in smartphone application stores. In total, 88 games were systematically coded for characteristics, content, and quality using a reliable and valid coding instrument developed for this research. RESULTS: The majority of games included at least two components of interactivity (75.0 percent) and at least one mechanism for rewarding (69.3 percent). However, most games lacked a story line (97.7 percent) and components for sense of control (25.0 percent). There were an average of 3.54 (standard deviation = 2.20) theoretical constructs in the games, with attitudes (83.0 percent), knowledge (78.4 percent), and perceived severity (55.7 percent) being the most common. The most common educational approach used was the affective education model (83.0 percent). Most games included at least one tobacco message (90.9 percent), with a majority of messages being loss-framed (63.6 percent) and/or one-sided (75.0 percent). CONCLUSIONS: Although today's anti-tobacco videogames contain many effective features, numerous qualities and best practices for changing behaviors through games are not present. Future games should seek to address these best practices in their development and evaluation to increase the likelihood they will be effective.

Addictive Online Games: Examining the Relationship Between Game Genres and Internet Gaming Disorder.

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is the most recent term used to describe problematic or pathological involvement with computer or video games. This study examined whether this disorder is more likely to involve pathological involvement with online (i.e., Internet) games as opposed to offline games. We also explored the addictive potential of nine video game genres by examining the relationship between IGD and 2,720 games played by a sample of 13- to 40-year olds (N = 2,442). Although time spent playing both online and offline games was related to IGD, online games showed much stronger correlations. This tendency is also reflected within various genres. Disordered gamers spent more than four times as much time playing online role-playing games than nondisordered gamers and more than thrice as much time playing online shooters, whereas no significant differences for offline games from these genres were found. Results are discussed within the frame of social interaction and competition provided by online games.

Game Maturity Model for Health Care.

This article introduces the Game Maturity Model for the healthcare industry as an extension to the general Game Maturity Model and describes the usage by two case studies of applied health games. The Game Maturity Model for healthcare provides a practical and value-adding method to assess existing games and to determine strategic considerations for application of applied health games. Our forecast is that within 5 years the use and development of applied games will have a role in our daily lives and the way we organize health care that will be similar to the role social media has today.

La piedra mágica / No disponible

"La piedra mágica" es, un videojuego que se ha diseñado como herramienta educativa dirigida al alumnado con Necesidades Específicas de Apoyo Educativo y, en particular, a personas con síndrome de Down. Pretende incrementar las habilidades comunicativas de estas personas a través de una mejora de su prosodia (entonación, fluidez, entre otras propiedades) y, consecuentemente, favorecer su inclusión social y laboral. Una de las principales novedades de 'La piedra mágica' es su diseño interdisciplinar, ya que en este proyecto hemos colaborado lingüistas, psicolingüistas, ingenieros informáticos, pedagogos y filósofos para conseguir un entorno educativo complejo y adaptable. Es una herramienta que puede ser empleada de manera autónoma o supervisada y que almacena un historial de seguimiento de cada jugador, de manera que los profesionales pueden acceder a los datos de cada alumno y observar su desarrollo fomentando aquellas carencias más destacadas en cada perfil. Uno de los aspectos más originales de la herramienta es que el jugador se comunica con el resto de personajes del videojuego con su propia voz, lo que le motiva y ayuda a mejorar su capacidad comunicativa. Tras realizar una primera prueba piloto se ha comprobado que más del sesenta por ciento de los alumnos ganan naturalidad y fluidez en su elocución

"La piedra mágica" is a video-play designed as an educational tool for students with special needs, including children with Down syndrome. It is aimed at enhancing communication skills by improving prosody (fluency, tone, etc.), which leads to social and vocational inclusion. It has been created by the interdisciplinary collaboration of people specialized in linguistics and psycholinguistics, informatic engineers, educators and philosophers

Heart Rate and Liking During "Kinect Boxing" Versus "Wii Boxing": The Potential for Enjoyable Vigorous Physical Activity Videogames.

OBJECTIVE: Nintendo(®) (Kyoto, Japan) "Wii™ Sports Boxing" ("Wii Boxing") and Xbox(®) (Microsoft, Redmond, WA) "Kinect(®) Sports Boxing" ("Kinect Boxing") are both boxing simulation videogames that are available for two different active videogame (AVG) systems. Although these AVGs are similar, the style of gameplay required is different (i.e., upper body only versus total body movements) and may alter physical activity intensity and one's preference for playing one game over the other. AVGs that elicit the greatest physiologic challenge and are preferred by users should be identified in an effort to enhance the efficacy of physical activity interventions and programs that include AVGs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mean heart rate (HRmean) and peak heart rate (HRpeak) for 27 adults (22.7±4.2 years old) were recorded during four 10-minute conditions: seated rest, treadmill walking at 3 miles/hour, "Wii Boxing," and "Kinect Boxing." Upon completion of all four conditions, participants indicated which condition they preferred, and HRmean and HRpeak were calculated as a percentage of age-predicted maximum heart rate to classify physical activity intensity for the three activity conditions (treadmill, "Wii Boxing," and "Kinect Boxing"). RESULTS: "Kinect Boxing" significantly (P<0.001) increased percentage HRmean (64.1±1.6 percent of age-predicted maximum) and percentage HRpeak (76.5±1.9 percent) above all other conditions: Wii HRmean, 53.0±1.2 percent; Wii HRpeak, 61.8±1.5 percent; treadmill HRmean, 52.4±1.2 percent; treadmill HRpeak, 55.2±2.2 percent. Percentage HRpeak for "Kinect Boxing" was great enough to be considered a vigorous-intensity physical activity. There was no difference (P=0.55) in percentage HRmean between "Wii Boxing" and treadmill walking. Participants also preferred "Kinect Boxing" (P<0.001; n=26) to all other conditions ("Wii Boxing," n=1; treadmill n=0). CONCLUSIONS: "Kinect Boxing" was the most preferred and the only condition that was physiologically challenging enough to be classified as a vigorous-intensity physical activity.