Are Video Games Making You Fat?

Grand Theft Auto, Gears of War, Call of Duty, Fallout, World of Warcraft - these titles get the blood pumping and heart racing in just about every American teenager. Meanwhile, parents stand by, fascinated by the number of hours their kids can spend in front of the television or video game console. What isn't quite as entertaining is their child's growing waistline.

Is it true that playing video games makes you fat? Research has shown that children who play video games are more likely to be overweight than children who don't play video games. And experts at the National Institutes of Health, Yale University, and the California Pacific Medical Center have found strong evidence that children who get more media exposure are more likely to become obese, start smoking, use drugs and alcohol, perform poorly in school, and begin earlier sexual activity than those who spend less time in front of a screen. But does that mean video games are to blame for the childhood obesity epidemic? Probably not.

The True Adversary: A Sedentary Lifestyle

Most researchers have concluded that video games themselves are not the enemy - sitting still is. They reason that the more time a child spends playing video games, the less time he is likely spending in more active pursuits. However, because overweight children tend to be more sedentary and have fewer friends, some experts believe playing video games could be a result of obesity, not the cause of it.

"A sedentary lifestyle is a pervasive problem among young people," says Jackie Friedman, Psy.D., the clinical director at Wellspring Camp in California, a leading weight loss camp for teens ages 11 to 18. "Most of our campers are dependent on one or all three forms of entertainment: video games, computer games, or Internet."

Friedman continues, "Young people who are overweight tend to be socially isolated and lack confidence in their skills at sports and playing with other kids. They need practice to adjust to a life of activity at home. What we do at camp sets them up for long-term success."

From Foe to Friend

With the advent of Wii, Dance Dance Revolution, and other active games, some experts are now beginning to see a world of opportunities opening up in the world of gaming. In the past couple of years, we've also witnessed the development of a new breed of video games like "Body Mechanics" and "The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective," which teach kids about the dangers of obesity and the basics of healthy eating in creative and fun ways.

At Wellspring's weight loss camp in Hawaii, campers occasionally have the option to play Wii or Dance Dance Revolution (lovingly called "DDR" at camp) in the evenings instead of watching television. "Some campers can't talk about anything but Halo and other video games when they first get here," explains Head Counselor Jessie Arsenault. "But they love the active video games and don't even realize they're burning calories as they play. Plus we keep them busy each day with every imaginable adventure activity under the sun."

"When people play video games or watch television, we tend to snack more without registering how much food we're putting in our bodies," notes Trent Shumway, the activities coordinator at Wellspring Academy of the Carolinas, a renowned weight loss boarding school for children and teens 11 to 18. "At Wellspring Academy, we keep students active with fun video game alternatives like scheduled Nintendo Wii nights, Dance Dance Revolution, sports, and even ping-pong - anything that gets them up and moving. When they're having fun doing what they like, they're more likely to maintain a healthy lifestyle at home."

Finding the Right Balance

Of course, active video games are no substitute for good, old-fashioned exercise. Most video games do not qualify as aerobic exercise, but they do require more activity than traditional video games. According to a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, children who engage in active video games expend significantly more calories than those who play passive video games. In fact, children who participated in a running game expended more than five times as many calories per minute, and those playing a bowling game expended nearly twice as many calories per minute. Children participating in seated games burned only 39 percent more calories than children at rest.

Although Wellspring campers enjoy an occasional Wii night, they spend the majority of their days playing sports, walking, hiking, and participating in a wide range of physical activities. But for teens who can't put down the video game controller, these active video games are a step in the right direction, getting young people more comfortable swinging a tennis racket or kicking a soccer ball, improving hand-eye coordination, and elevating their heart rates. Just make sure your kids get outside for a little fun, too.