A few weeks ago I wrote an article about decreasing the amount of time we all spend in front of TV and computer screens and electronic entertainment in general. I spoke about the benefits of regular activity. Several people have since asked me my thoughts on electronic fitness games. I believe that anything that gets people active is a good thing. If games can elevate your heart rate, like exercise does, and makes you sweat, it is a good thing. There is certainly some exercise benefit from these games if that is the case. You have to ensure that you spend enough time to get that exercise benefit. The main benefit will be to your heart and cardiovascular system and the muscle and joints.
However, there are other reasons for being active that electronic games don’t effect. I am a huge believer in getting outdoors. I spoke previously about the benefits of sunshine and it is important that all people get a few minutes (about 10 minutes is enough) of sunshine every day to help the body produce Vitamin D. Vitamin D is an important vitamin for many parts of our body including our bones, our heart and cardiovascular system and our immune system. Over recent years we have become aware that many people including children have low vitamin D levels. This can be helped by spending a little bit of time outside every day. Obviously we don’t need to spend too much time in the sun and we know that we have to be sun smart to protect ourselves against sun damage which can lead to skin cancers. So we have to strike a balance between too much and too little sun exposure.
The other benefit of being active outdoors is that it is a great opportunity to be social and exercise with friends and families. Given that it is now spring time and the evenings are starting to get a bit longer, and the days are a little warmer, it is a great opportunity to do something with your friends or family regularly. I know a lot of kids who play sports with a completely separate group from their school friends and they really like the fact that they have different groups of friends to hang out with.
Finally exercising outdoors with “real” sporting equipment is more beneficial for co-ordination than electronic games. You can’t learn to drive a racing car by practicing on video games, and likewise you can’t learn how to throw, shoot, catch or hit a ball by playing such games. You only really learn how to co-ordinate your body by doing it for real.
So in the end, we want everyone to be active, and whilst electronic games can play some role in getting the benefits of exercise, I think it should only be part of the picture and there are many more benefits to getting outdoors and being active.