Taking a leap of faith for Exergaming

The Exergame Network Fundraiser

A couple of days before Thanksgiving Richard Coshott took a “leap of faith” out of an airplane to raise money for an organization that he is very passionate about, The Exergaming Network (TEN).

Coshott raised nearly $400 using Fundraise.com and that money will go towards paying for research that needs to be done. One of the biggest challenges in growing TEN is trying to convince organizations, schools, educators and anyone involved with making decisions on how exergaming isn’t just video games.

Exergaming is very beneficial to students and it is great way to keep students active. Coshott was nervous about the jump, but knows that it help raise awareness for TEN’s goals.

“When you have a door open to an airplane at 3,000 feet it goes against every natural instinct to jump out,” Coshott said. ”We have raised the profile of the initiative, and the knock on effect is we have some great partnership relationships in construction.”

He is excited about creating more fundraisers with Fundraise.com in the future and loved working with the team on creating a successful fundraiser.


“The great part about using Fundraise is that we can add to our activities, so we’re expecting to add more fundraisers,” Coshott added. 

There is a lot of research to be done in the coming months, and some of the topics that need to be tackled include: Positive Behaviour Effects, Gateway Effect, Comparative Enjoyment of Physical Activity, Health Benefits of Exergaming, Family health benefits of Exergaming, Cognitive benefits of exergaming and Improved social confidence from Exergaming.

Coshott is hoping that exergaming will continue accross the globe in the United States. One of the biggest challenges in the US is that with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, money has been diverted away from physical education and the arts and towards teaching to the test to try to meet the requirements of of NCLB.

But Coshott sees exergaming as a great way to keep kids in shape and educate them at the same time. Some studies show that students who regularly exercise perform better academically.

“Exergaming is brilliant to give all kids a chance to be active and successful in physical activity,” Coshott added. “One goal of TEN is to educate these schools so that they can implement a successful and rewarding experience for the school and the students. The good news is that exergaming can help; so long as we know how to use it and we have the proof that it does say what we say it does.”
And that leads back to the reason why TEN needs financial support.
 “Hence the reason TEN is doing all the work to get the gaps filled in exergaming research and hence the reason I jumped out of a plane last weekend,” Coshott exclaimed.

Here is video of Coshott taking his “literal leap of faith” to help support the TEN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IXZje4axsk&feature=g-all-u
To read the previous entry on this fundraiser, visit: http://blog.fundraise.com/post/35724102079/growing-the-exergaming-network-one-player-at-a-time, to read more more about the Fundraiser, visit: https://www.fundraise.com/the-exergame-network/active-gamer

Originally posted at :
http://blog.fundraise.com/post/36427724320/taking-a-leap-of-faith-for-exergaming

Miami schools using exergaming for $100,000 prize

View the full story here - http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21007542111844/

Exergaming Research for Everyone

Over the past month The Exergame Network has been working on a new concept, to take Exergaming research out of the journals and put it in front of the public. The project has been the subject of two TEN Skype calls so far and work has begun on TEN's Wiki.

The first call started with the brief; Build an evidence base of exergaming research and define studies that are missing

On the first call we had exergame manufacturers and distributors put forward "wish-lists" that they would like to see covered by the research community. The purpose being to give prospective users of exergaming an applicable evidence base of what would work well form them.

The researchers explained some of the difficulties around copyright, non-disclosure and funding to people on the call. They also explained some of the limitations that create the gap between what is required and what is possible at the moment, as well as the skills gap in exergaming experience.

During the call it became obvious that there was not only a need to build an evidence base for exergaming users, but also put together a resource of key exergaming studies that would inform and lead future research projects. It was decided to use the TEN Wiki as the method of collaboration in the first instance.

Projects that TEN undertake are open and transparent, which is an important consideration to give subsequent media releases credibility and satisfy the public's desire for unbiased and uncompromising information. Of course, projects that are open in nature tend to take a little longer, but we think that's worth it!

The Researchers Resource is being built on the Wiki at http://exergaming.pbworks.com/Exergaming-Evidence-Base for everyone to see. The key aspects of the research lists here are to show both good and poor research methods to give not just what's worth building on, but also to show what errors to avoid. At this stage it was noted that the TEN Rating System (TRS) will become a more and more useful resource for researchers in choosing appropriate exergames for the populations being studied.

This list will form the basis of the studies put forwards to the public as keynote research forming evidence for the best practices and best value outcomes. The public list itself was defined with the ais of being simple, clear and unclutter from academic jargon. The list is underway on TEN's Wiki at http://exergaming.pbworks.com/Helena. Clearly this is a working title!

The second skype call on the project focused more on getting some examples into the public list, and deciding on how to put this message across. The call was very much about "doing" rather than "talking" and members of the call started eagerly editing the wiki with ideas and information.

It was clear that the public facing list of exergaming research has some challenges ahead. On the call we talked about how to reference the studies, something very important in the academic world, but not of interest to the vast majority of the readers. We defined the target audience further, being anyone in the public domain that would not get this information from journals. This also includes members of the media, that often misreport research abstracts, typically with inappropriate headlines.

We also talked about referencing the actual exergame used, as this is a key factor in "making it real" for the reader, and for them to be able to take ideas forwards. This concept was universally accepted by commercial people and the academics on the call.

It was not all plain sailing, happy agreement though. The ideas around how to report (in the public list) the energy expenditures was a hot topic. One camp argued for the straight reporting right out of the research publication, while the other camp argued that this information needs to be simplified (as it is in public health promotion). There';s still some ground to cover on this subject!

Lastly, the call failed to conclude on who's studies / who's exergames should be reported in the public list. Of course in an ideal world, no one would be left out, but for an information piece we are trying to be concise while giving all the information relevant. This will be the subject of the next call this Friday, along with many more worked examples into the pubic list and plenty of "active discussion"!

The Modern Solution for Healthy People 2020

Fitness and weight goals set by the Healthy People 2010 campaign have been missed and the evidence shows that America is moving in the wrong direction!

The Exergame Network (TEN) has found that objectives set for Americas health, weight management and fitness are being missed and cannot be met by traditional health interventions alone. TEN says that technology needs to be embraced as a friend, not a foe for today’s healthy lifestyles.

TEN Supports the methodology of Exergaming; the combination of exercise and multimedia technologies, for a role in reaching the Health People 2020 objectives. Exergaming seeks to change sedentary screen time to active screen time, thereby bringing activity levels within the recommended guidelines for moderate to vigorous physical activity levels (MVPA). National studies have shown 97% of children play video games daily and the average age of gamers is 34 years old. Video game technology that underpins Exergaming is proven to be engaging and sustainable for everyone.

“Exergaming is an exciting genre in the video game space,” said Jennifer Mercurio, Vice President & General Counsel of the Entertainment Consumers Association. “It can be used for physical therapy and team building, as well as fitness. Healthy People 2020 should embrace Exergaming as an important component in getting Americans more healthy.”

TEN Recognises that not every exergame is suitable for improving health, a headline study into Wii Sports by Liverpool John Moores University suggest that Wii Sports, while fun, cannot be recommended due to the low level of energy expenditure. However, the results of a 2008 study into Dance Dance Revolution and Eyetoy Kinetic exergames by SUNY Cortland University showed that some exergames can contribute to the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity. To help guide the public, TEN evaluates exergames using its Rating System, at http://exergamenetwork.blogspot.com/p/exergame-experience-rating-system.html, to support those exergames that have genuine exercise components.

Teachers play a large part in our children’s physical activity - 65% of school children’s activity is solely derived at school. The educators role is to raise children’s awareness of healthy practises and to demonstrate how exercise can be fun, engaging and become an everyday part of their lives. Exergaming is one route to achieve these goals.

George Velarde is a PE educator with a vision to move PE from traditional practises to the “New PE” which integrates technology. His experiences are a testament to the power of Exergaming, and his results for Sierra Vista Jr. High are a testament to the effectiveness of appropriately applied health and fitness technologies.

The Sierra Vista PE Department’s efforts in “New PE”, that includes over 50 Exergaming stations, started in 2003 and has subsequently improved the schools fitness scores. In 2003 the school scored 33.4% for the 6 fitness standards. After six years the school scored 55.4% in the number of fitness standards achieved. With George’s enthusiasm, Sierra Vista is a school that embraces Exergaming and bucks the national trend by moving in the right direction for health and fitness.

The evidence from Sierra Vista is not an isolated experience, schools and universities are finding their own path towards healthy lifestyles through practical trials and research with exergaming. Last month the executive directors of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Melissa Johnson and Shellie Y. Pfohl, had first hand experience of Exergaming at the University of South Florida’s Active Gaming laboratory in Tampa.

The goal of Exergaming is not to replace traditional exercise, but to replace sedentary behaviour, and as an effective method to increase participation in traditional exercise - The ‘Gateway’ Effect. The public opinion of the best gateway exergame, and other worthy categories of exergaming, are the subject of The Exergame Network Awards, which is currently open to public vote at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/421003/active-gaming-awards.

The objectives for Healthy People 2020 are due to be released to the public this month, and while technology, principally increased screen time, is having a negative effect on our health, the evidence points to a need for guidelines supporting the positive benefits of exergaming.

TEN promotes the advantages of healthy video games, through it’s collaboration with health professionals, academics, leading manufacturers, distributors, students and advocates. TEN’s resources include a wiki site (http://exergaming.pbwiki.com) and a blog site (http://exergamenetwork.blogspot.com). TEN is also established on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn with queries directed to: info@exergamenetwork.org

The Healthy People of Tomorrow Play Video Games

Let's Move - with Gamercize!

What can Gamercize and active gaming do for health and fitness, after all it's just a game isn't it? There's a serious side to exergaming, even the White House is taking a look to find out what the benefits of "gamer burn" can be.

Reported by WTSP 10 News, executive directors of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Melissa Johnson and Shellie Y. Pfohl (pictured left), had a first hand experience of exergaming at the University of South Florida’s active gaming laboratory in Tampa.

The USF Active Gaming Lab was started by Asst. Prof. Lisa Witherspoon Hansen three years ago with full support of the universities College of Education department. The lab facilites on campus are used to educate PE students in active gaming with another facility "in the field" at a local local elementary school.

The kids in the practical environment get moving."Why not take what everyone is deeming the enemy [video games], why not let them play the games that they love just make them more active?" says Lisa.

Students are not just playing games, they are having fun, being active and learning too.

Jasmine says, "When you play the game it increases your heart rate, makes your legs stronger." 10 Year old Edgerrin James has taken more than 1,400 steps in 25 minutes. "I feel great. I know I worked hard but I feel very tired," describes Edgerrin. Does he feel energized? "Yes Ma'am," he adds.

It's not just the kids that love the onsite lab, "The more we can push the fact exercise is fun with friends, social type of thing, the more likely they will do it," says Lynda Correia, PE Teacher at Witter Elementary.

Check out the video from Ch10 here, and see Gamercize and exergaming in action improving health, fitness and awareness! Lisa also contributes to PE Central as the editor of the Active Gaming section for PE educators.

(Originally posted at http://gamercize.blogspot.com/2010/11/healthy-people-of-tomorrow-play-video.html)

New article reviewing active video game studies

9-8-10: Just rec'd a PDF of this review article entitled, "Active video games to promote physical activity in children and youth", by Elaine Biddis and Jennifer Irwin. It came out in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescence Medicine, 2010; 164(7):664-672.

The objective of this study was to "...systematically review levels of metabolic expenditure and changes in activity pattenrs associated wtih active video game (AVG) play in children and to provide directions for future research efforts." This covered published studies spanning Jan. 1, 1998 to Jan. 1, 2010.

If you'd like a copy of this study via PDF, send me an e-mail at ernie@medplaytech.com.