Physical Effects
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What’s the Link?
Ever since the 1980’s, when video games came into the public eye and became exceedingly popular, they have had a negative stigma when it comes to physical health. At first, they were thought to ruin children’s minds by having them stood in front of arcade machines for hours on end. Then, with the invention of the home console, people became worried about children staying inside all day instead of playing out. The stigma around video games being link to weight gain has only seemingly worsened as time has gone on- but is there actually a link?
Video Games and Weight Gain
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https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005 Edward R. Laskowski Accessed 02/03/2020
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One of the biggest reasons people are against video games as a common hobby is it’s often debated as having a link to children and teenagers gaining weight. It makes sense- being sat in front of a screen for hours on end doesn’t sound good for one’s physical health. Gamers often spent long sessions sat down, which studies have suggested is bad for health. One such article by Mayo Clinic titled “What are the risks of siting too much?” goes into exactly this. “Any extended sitting – such as at a desk, behind a wheel or in front of a screen – can be harmful”1. However, while sitting is not better for health than moving, the article also posits that more study is needed in order to determine how exactly it affects the body.
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Do Fitness Games Actually Work?
Joshua Wortman, Accessed 02/03/2020
Some video games exist to combat the negative impact the hobby can have on physical health. Fitness games rose to popularity in the mid to late 2000’s when motion control technology came into the limelight. One article on BreakingMuscle.com said that, when speaking about a study conducted by Wei Peng, a professor for Michigan State University, he said: “exergames have been proven to be useful when incorporated into a structured exercise routine”. The main take away from the study was that exercise games can work, however, only when incorporated properly with real exercise, not on their own.
Games and Social Exercise
Julia Belluz, Accessed 03/03/2020
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Back in 2016 a new app was released for mobile devices- titled Pokémon Go. It allowed players to walk around outside in order to catch Pokémon. Similar games already existed but this app allowed people to exercise without even noticing it, and large groups of people get together and walk long distances. But did the game provide a decent workout for its players? One article by Vox discussed just this, titled “Did Pokémon Go get Americans to exercise? The research says yes- but not for long”. As the title states, there were health benefits to its players, but that the game did not keep the exercising long, saying that “by the sixth week, that burst in physical activity completely dropped off”. This means that games like Pokémon Go can work but need to find a way to keep their players coming back.
Conclusion
Overall, games have a very negative stigma with exercise. Many faucets of gaming have tried to combat this, but without combining videogame related exercise with real exercise, the effects are not enough. While sitting itself does not necessarily cause weight gain, bad habits that come with being stationary for long periods of time, like lack of exercise and frequent snacking, very much can. So, I believe that, while videogames definitely struggle to have a positive effect on physical health, it depends on the person playing them on whether they will have a negative effect.