"It's a bonding experience for families."
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma asked a group of overweight teenagers to start playing video games.
Not just any video game, of course, but “exergames” that involve getting off the couch and moving around, in this case scoring points by going through a series of dance moves.
Still, if you don’t push yourself, the average “exergame” doesn’t necessarily take more exertion than walking to the refrigerator. So it’s not surprising that the teens didn’t lose weight, even after playing three times a week for 10 weeks.
But it wasn’t a complete waste of time.
At the end of the research project, the teens reported more self-confidence, less depression and better relationships with their parents.
All that from playing video games?
Well, the teens didn’t play by themselves. They played with their parents.
That’s the trick.
“It’s a bonding experience for families,” explained Dr. Casey Hester, an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics.
The other morning, my 3-year-old wanted me to play with him in his room. But I couldn’t.
“I have to finish getting ready for work,” I told him. “Why don’t you go play by yourself?”
He shook his head.
“That’s no fun,” he said. “Doing it together is the whole point.”
And he doesn’t even have a Ph.D.
Read more about OU’s research.
