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Are Video Games the Solution to Childhood Obesity?
By Christina Quick | April 15, 2008
Thanks to the popular Nintendo Wii, the newest trend in gaming may be physical movement. Though the actual health benefits of swinging a Wiimote are questionable, parents like the fact that Wii requires kids to move more than just thumbs. And with childhood obesity tipping the scales at unprecedented levels, who can blame them?
Encouraging youngsters to get off the couch is the idea behind ME2, a game device by iToys that will be hitting store shelves this summer.
The $35 toy can be played like a handheld game. But the real action begins when it’s plugged into a computer for online play. The catch? To access certain tools and gain power in the game, kids have to rack up mileage by wearing the device around like a pedometer as they run, walk, bike, play ball, etc.
I must confess I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it might be effective for getting otherwise sedentary youngsters in the habit of exercising. On the other, it seems sad that society has been reduced to using bribery, trickery and high-tech toys to get kids to engage in activities that have long been considered part of a healthy childhood.
What do you think of the ME2 concept?
Topics: Trends |
April 16th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Christina, I also have mixed feelings about it. I’ve been a children’s physical activity specialist for 29 years, so I’m obviously in favor of getting kids moving! Still, as you say, if it takes “trickery and high-tech toys,” that truly is a sad statement about what childhood entails today.
Two thoughts come to mind. First, I can only hope that these video games create a lifelong love of physical activity in general. Second, I’d like to think the children are only using them when the weather is absolutely, positively too terrible for them to go outdoors — where they belong!
June 15th, 2008 at 7:42 am
My kid like hunting games n PS 2..Really fun..