Wiifit

This week, Nintendo launched its anticipated WiiWare service in Japan, but North American gamers won’t get their hands on the service for another two months. This guide is for those who haven’t been following every bit of information on WiiWare and want to be brought up to speed on it. Over the next three days, we’ll cover everything you need to know about WiiWare, as well as all of the announced games for the service. (While Nintendo says there are over 100 WiiWare titles in development, this guide only covers the ones that official information has been released on.)

So, sit back, grab a nice, cool soda and keep reading Kombo’s Games of WiiWare guide.

About WiiWare
An enormous amount of information about Nintendo’s downloadable service, WiiWare, has found its way into the hands of gamers everywhere, but information is so spread out that many are left in the dark as to what exactly WiiWare is. Our three-day guide will cover every detail known (so far) on the service: how it works, pricing, launch dates, and every single game confirmed for WiiWare to this point.

What is WiiWare?
Nintendo’s WiiWare service was officially announced in June of 2007. Their answer to Xbox 360’s Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, Nintendo hails WiiWare as a “…service that will allow developers large and small to create new downloadable video game content for sale by Nintendo through the Wii Shop Channel…WiiWare paves the way for smaller, more creative games to make their way to the public at lower prices, without any inventory risk to developers.” The PR speak is bright and sunny, but what does it all mean?

Details about the service
WiiWare officially launched March 25th in Japan and will launch May 12th in the United States. Since the 12th is a Monday, we could speculate that WiiWare games will be released on Mondays on a weekly basis, similar to the Virtual Console. Games will be made available through Nintendo’s Wii Shop Channel, in a section separate from Virtual Console games. In dealing with developer’s use of the service, Nintendo has stressed that nearly all decision-making will be done on the developer-side, with little interference from Nintendo.

Gamers will use Wii Points to purchase WiiWare titles, and pricing has been rumored to be in the range of 300-1500 points ($3-$15) per game, though Nintendo emphasizes that they’d like developers to set their own pricing as they see fit. A 40 megabyte cap on games was rumored, but again, Nintendo chimed in, saying that it was merely a guideline that developers are free to exceed if they like. At GDC ‘08, Nintendo revealed some ways that they intend to keep file size down for games, such as keeping instruction manuals for games online, and compressing the game when not being played. They also mentioned that demos for titles can be made available, but aren’t required. Finally, any control scheme available for a boxed-retail game can be made available and used in a WiiWare game, including supporting the GameCube controller.

What does WiiWare mean for gamers?
WiiWare is a strong opportunity for fans of Nintendo’s little console-that-could to see some of the best innovation and usage of Wii’s unique capabilities yet. Without the pressure of making sure a game is a financial hit, smaller developers will be free to experiment with completely new game designs that, if they unfortunately fail, the impact won’t make or break them. Shying away from shoehorning motion controls into traditional gameplay situations and creating new experiences based around the Wii’s strengths could give Nintendo fans some much-needed respite from the oft chanted “waggle” mantra. The implications behind the fact that there are probably a dozen sites out there that are collections of browser-based, bite-size games touted as designed with the Wii and its internet channel in mind are strong for the potential runaway success of Nintendo’s downloadable game service.

But what about the games?
The potential is obviously there for WiiWare to thrive, but the ideas and possibilities are worthless if the games don’t deliver. Nintendo announced that there are over 100 games currently in development for their WiiWare service. In comparison, less than 50 games have been released on the PlayStation Store with nearly a year head start. From remakes of popular legacy franchises, to completely new IPs built specifically for the downloadable service, the entire gaming gambit is being run by Nintendo’s WiiWare on the heels of one of the most successful hardware launches ever. The rest of our feature this week is going to focus on every known game announced for WiiWare up to this point. What’s confirmed? What isn’t? Join us this week as Kombo pieces together the WiiWare puzzle.

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The Games
May 12th will be here sooner than you know, and with it comes the launch of Nintendo’s WiiWare service. But what games are going to be available on that momentous occasion? We’re going to look at several titles confirmed for the American launch, as well as a few that still have a good chance of making it out the digital gates on May 12th (and beyond).

Butterfly Garden
Developer: Autonomous Productions
Release Date: US: TBA
Price: TBA

Butterfly Garden is a breathtaking game that originally grew its wings on Xbox Live Arcade. An ambitious project from Autonomous Productions, Butterfly Garden will put players in control of a myriad of butterfly species, as well as the environment in which you interact. Butterfly movement will be controlled by tilting and pointing the Wii remote. Players will need to avoid predators and natural hazards while interacting with fellow butterflies and plants.

The game will put Nintendo’s WiiConnect24 functionality to good use by allowing players to trade cocoons and flower seeds. Developers have hinted at other unique features. Butterfly Garden is going through a long development cycle with an expected release date at some point in 2009. Because of this, players should expect the game to (at least) cost around 1500 points.

If you’d like more info, go ahead and check out our interview with Autonomous Productions’ Studio Director Shayne Guiliano here.

Bruiser & Scratch in the Case of the Puzzling Paw
Developer: Steel Penny Games
Release Date: US: TBA
Price: TBA

Steel Penny Games was formed by two ex-Naughty Dog employees. Given their former company’s name, it seems fitting that their first project is about one pooch sleuth, Bruiser, and a friendly female feline, Scratch. Though not much is known about actual gameplay, it seems to be leaning towards an adventure feel.

We do know that Bruiser & Scratch is centered around a story involving giant paw prints and vaporous doorways that would make even Scooby and the gang proud.

The game is very much in development, but it appears Steel Penny Games is still shopping around Bruiser & Scratch to publishers at the moment.

Cocoto Fishing Master
Developer: Neko Entertainment
Release Date: US: TBA (Europe: Launch title)
Price: TBA

Originally released for the PS2, Cocoto Fishing Master is apparently headed to WiiWare. Though the PS2 version originally shipped with a fishing pole peripheral, it appears Neko Entertainment plans to simulate the peripheral with the Wii remote and nunchuk.

Players will fish from five different lakes, each filled with 6 fish, for a total of…30 fish. If that’s not overwhelming enough, players are then able to take the fish they catch down to the corner fishmonger, and sell their fish for new hooks, rods, even bait!

Its unclear whether the game will be a straight port of the PS2 version, as size could be a factor. Neko Entertainment plans to have the game out by Europe’s WiiWare launch, and has yet to announce a date for the US.

Defend Your Castle
Developer: XGen Studios
Release Date: May 12th, 2008
Price: 500 Wii Points

XGen Studios, famous for housing hundreds of free-to-play flash games, is making its debut on WiiWare with the classic time waster, Defend Your Castle. A simplistic, fend off waves of baddies, game that is a blast to play in short bursts.

Now, we know what some of you are thinking. How could anyone possibly be coaxed into purchasing a free-to-play flash game that’s been out for years? Well, try creating it from the ground up for WiiWare: throwing in 4 player jump-in multiplayer; brand new visuals, Wii-mote support, and tack on a meager price of 500 points and we might be willing to give it a shot.

Dr. Mario & Virus Buster
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: US: TBA (JP: March 25th, 2008)
Price: TBA

Unfortunately, Dr. Mario missed his chance of repeating a cameo in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. That isn’t to say that Nintendo has outright forgotten him, though. They’ve simply put him back in his comfort zone: popping colored pills into a giant pill bottle.

That’s right, Dr. Mario is a launch title for WiiWare and looks to deliver the same solid puzzle experience found in previous installments in the series. This time, however, Dr. Mario is writing prescriptions online; allowing for online multiplayer for two players.

Mii support, four control schemes, and the mini-game (with four player support)
found in Brain Age 2 all make it into the final product. Prognosis: positive.

Eternity’s Child
Developer: Alten8
Release Date: US: TBA
Price: 500 Points

Eternity’s Child is the spawn of 21-year-old game designer Luc Bernard. Already notorious for its beautiful 2D artwork, the game is a 2D traditional platformer following the story of the protagonist Angel. Traditional movement is handled with the nunchuk, while the Wii-mote’s IR functionality controls a flying heart used to target and shoot enemies. Co-op is also supported.

We have high hopes that the game plays as wonderfully as it looks.

Everyone’s Pokemon Ranch
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: US: TBA (JP: March 25th, 2008)
Price: 1000 Points

In regards to Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, or any Pokemon handheld game for that matter, it seems that if you haven’t put at least a hundred hours into it, you’re just a lightweight. Everyone’s Pokemon Ranch is definitely for the heavyweights.

Featuring full connectivity with Diamond and Pearl, Everyone’s Pokemon Ranch for WiiWare is a management tool with all sorts of frills. Pokemon Ranch allows players to upload any of their Pokemon to a ranch, where players will be able to view and interact with their Pokemon in full 3D. They will dance and parade around, as well as interact with your Miis and the ranch owner herself, Yukari.

The game also gives players the ability to take photos of your Pokemon and save them to an SD card, allowing transfer of said photos to a PC, where you can share your pics with fellow Pokemaniacs. Oh, don’t fret if your Pokedex is about to burst, you’ll be able to upload up to 1000 Pokemon to your ranch (we pity the fence mender).

Everyone’s Pokemon Ranch launches with the WiiWare service in Japan, and look for it at or near launch in the US.

 wii.kombo.com 

In the same note to investors that details his skepticism over retailer GameStop’s revenue growth, analyst Michael Pachter also reveals that he’s “learned that Nintendo of America intends to support the Wii Fit launch with the biggest marketing campaign in its history.”

Further details on this campaign are currently not available but we’ve contacted both Nintendo and Pachter to see what information they can provide.

[Update: Pachter has now informed us that Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime himself told him that. Pachter added, “It suggests to me that the marketing will be broad-based and mainstream, meaning beyond the normal online and game magazine ads. My guess is we will see advertising on TV during American Idol, Oprah, etc. as opposed to ads on MTV during Punk’d.”

We also asked Pachter if he knew what kind of marketing spend Nintendo had planned. He answered, “I really don’t know what the spend will be, but it could be 10 - 12% of projected sales. If we assume a retail price of $100, that’s $10 million in marketing for each 1 million units sold. If they go mainstream (have Oprah demo the device), I could see them selling 3 - 4 million, maybe more. That suggests the potential for $30 - 40 million in marketing.]

Pachter notes that Nintendo’s marketing approach reinforces his theory that hardware sales will shift away from specialty stores like GameStop and towards mass market chains like Best Buy. “…it is unlikely that such a large marketing campaign is intended to disproportionately benefit GameStop,” he said. “Rather, we think that the Nintendo campaign is likely to feature key retail partners such as Target and Best Buy, notorious for attracting so-called ‘couch potatoes.’”

Wii Fit is already a huge success in Japan, having sold over 1.5 million units through February since launching last December. The game is scheduled to hit North America on May 19 and Nintendo certainly hopes the game will help them carry momentum gained from Super Smash Bros. Brawl and the soon-to-be-released Mario Kart Wii.

via : gamedaily.com

Surprising nobody, the long-anticipated Nintendo Wii brawler smashes a previous company record and sells a ton.

Back from my recent sabbatical in the Mushroom Kingdom to tell you all the exhilarating news from Nintendo. That game? You know, that crazy fighting game called Super Smash Bros. Brawl? Yeah, that one. Would you believe that this hyper-anticipated selection has broken sales records since its March 9th North American release? Oh, but wait until I tell you which vinyl the game made final.

The insane masterpiece mascot fighting epic has become the fastest-selling game in Nintendo of America history. History that stretches back to 1980, when the Japanese playing card/toy company brought its burgeoning videogame business over to the USA via NYC. Beating every popular Nintendo franchise you can think of, even Pokémon, this monster of a game sold over 874,000 copies on launch day, culminating in an astonishing 1.4 million for its opening week. For math crunchers, that’s 120 copies sold per minute! By comparison, its January 31st Japanese launch resulted in an astounding 500,000 copies sold on opening day for a total of 820,000 sold for launch week. That Japanese tally as of March 9th stands at over 1.4 million sold.

These amazing figures are all the more mind-blowing when you realize that the long-awaited title hasn’t even been released yet in the markets which use Phase Alternating Line TV sets like Europe, Australia, and others. More blowout figures should follow suit going by what we’re seeing here. The masterstroke Gamecube predecessor from 2001, Super Smash Bros. Melee was the largest selling title on the Fisher-Price/lunchbox-like console with over 7 million copies sold the world over. It’s a whole new world with Wii obviously in so many ways and you can bet your bottom dollar this game will whiz pass those sales figures on its way to Wii’s all-time best sellers list - possibly to Nintendo’s historical all-time best sellers list overall much like Nintendogs, Wii Sports, and the untouchable Super Mario Bros.

A quote to chew on from the newly instated Nintendo of America Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Cammie Dunaway:

“Super Smash Bros. Brawl has made the leap from video game to cultural phenomenon. Game reviewers and the public alike praise its fun game play and extensive, inventive content.”

In fact, the only negatives to this story is Nintendo finally acknowledging the dreadful (meaning terrible) online performance the game has been met with since its release. Reports of players unable to even log onto a playable network have swarmed the internet, calling into question the typically online-shunning companies focus on the feature. Some industrious fans have already found unstable work-a-rounds such as reprogramming their internet routers (not an endorsement!) to flooding the Nintendo help desks in a panic to lay their digital smack-downs across the globe. So far Nintendo has been mostly quiet on the sore subject, stating that the Smash Bros servers are, expectedly, overloaded and they’re working diligently on the problem.

There’s no doubting that the workhouse once known as “The Studio” has put together a work of brilliance. Masahiro Sakurai, the game’s director and founder of revealed developer Sora, kept us all in suspense and anxiety for the 3 years since the title was announced to be in development at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo where the Revolution that would become Wii first peeked at the world. Perfect scores of 10 out of 10 from game publications like Famitsu and these astronomical sales figures are the rewarding fruits of long life-altering labor. In this case, hard work paid off in SMASHING success. Now if they can only fix those laggy online problems… maybe by Mario Kart time, Nintendo?

via : popzara.com

I guess by now we can finally say that Nintendo have turned it around since the small degrees of success that they had with the Gamecube. The Wii and DS have sold millions worldwide and they still have a few more years in them yet but what is next for Nintendo? Do they stop all this innovating lark and just make the DS 2 or WII (Thats two in roman numerals) or would you like to see even more innovation on the part of the Nintendo? Really you can’t deny the success of both systems. The handheld market was ready to be rocked with the release of Sony’s Playstation Portable and it seemed that Sony where on course to dominate another market until the Nintendo DS hit the scene with its quirky controls and quick pick-up-and-play game aesthetic. Meanwhile Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 where to busy focusing on each other to even think about the Wii’s success.

Obviously we have to go through, Nintendo’s patented iteration-colour-cash-in period yet where we see hardware reproduced in every colour under sun, before we actually hear anything about a new system. Once we’ve seen those we can move on to the next really big announcement by Ninty. Lets be honest they are going to ride on the success of these systems before moving forward but thats nothing new and it makes perfect sense.

You can’t drive away from the eventual outcome, Mr Mario.

In the handheld department could you possibly see another Game Boy type system where you only have one screen and buttons. It would feel like a big step backwards. We all know the only reason its called the Nintendo DS and not the Game Boy DS is because they didn’t know how successful it would be but now the DS has overcome that and maybe even surpassed the Game Boy name. Do we see a DS 2. I predict that we will actually see a second DS with flasher graphics and with Wii-esque motion sensing built in. The possibility for a camera, built in internet support and upgradeable firmware all seem probable. But this is a few years away and I’d expect another slimed down version before another generation. I’d also add that they would wait for Sony to make a move with a PSP2 but at the moment Nintendo seem to be in a world of their own by just focusing on their own products and systems.

The Wii is only a year and a half old so to be talking about another version seems weird and far off. Expect multiple coloured Wii’s before a Wii 2 although is a Wii 2 the next step. People have been talking about the Wii as a constant platform. It can be updated, its key demographic doesn’t care about graphics therefore why do Nintendo need to invest in another platform? The Wii has the install base it needs to just make new controller shells every few months or two to gather interest and to keep momentum until the next shell comes along. This might not please the hardcore Nintendo fan’s but they have games like Smash Bros. to keep them happy.

Expect something like this before any new innovation comes your way

The most important question here is ‘How can they improve the Wii?’ The only problem is the sensor bar and that doesn’t warrant a second console. Other problems like the lack of third party games can only fix it’s self in time. If I had to add things to the Wii, it would only be extra peripherals and channels.The possibility of having two consoles would be weird but there is a silm chance. A Wii like one that caters to your ‘casual’ gameplayer and a standard one that caters to the hardcore market although after the Wii I can’t see them going back to a standard system anytime soon.

via : http://www.nidzumi.com

I’ll just come out and say it: Smash Bros. Brawl is the best game on the Wii right now. It beats Super Mario Galaxy, it is a better game than Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and it .. it’s just amazing. Smash Bros. Brawl is a must-own game in the Wii’s line-up and a benchmark for everything the system can do, both correctly and incorrectly.
The first thing that needs to be said is that this game is huge. It has a competent single-player experience as well as some modern additions to the multiplayer formula of old. That said, it’s a mixed bag, combining the best of the old, along with some new. But not everything is roses.

The Subspace Emissary, the game’s big single-player campaign, is one of the first things you’ll want to dive into. As a primary means of unlocking characters (and padding out the game a bit), it’s about a 6 hour affair that liberally douses the player in poor platforming and monotonous combat scenarios that are incredibly easy. It may be cool to have all of the Nintendo characters duke it out in one epic conflict, melding together franchises that really have no business being together (although, it’s pretty cool to see Link and Yoshi teamed up, along with many others), but in the end The Subspace Emissary provides more chore and bore than the fun galore Smash Bros. is known for. This portion of the game best serves as a means to unlock characters and give those without friends (or an internet connection) something to do.

But, honestly, who really buys this game for The Subspace Emissary? It’s all about the multiplayer action and the fan service roster. And, as one would imagine, the game delivers the best multiplayer action on the console (and then some).

Before I get to the gameplay, however, the controls warrant discussion. The 4 available control schemes (Wiimote alone, Wiimote and nunchuk, Classic controller and the GameCube controller) offer a variety of choices to the brawler, but, for me, the GameCube controller is the best available option. The Wiimote alone is suitable, but with the throw button being assigned to the - button, it’s hard to pull that off in battle. And, when using the Wiimote alone, the block is delegated to the B trigger, making it hard to access in the heat of battle. As for the Wiimote and nunchuk, I’ve found a few issues. For one, you have to turn the ability to jump by pushing up on the nunchuk’s analog stick off, or else you’ll accidentally start jumping when you mean to do something else. Also, the lack of ridges on the face of the analog stick on the nunchuk caused my thumb to slip constantly, becoming quite the nuisance when fighting off three foes (especially on the smaller stages like Smashville). As for the Classic controller, it feels better than the Wiimote and nunchuk, but the analog stick is the same as the nunchuk’s. So I would suggest using the GameCube controller. Your mileage may vary, however.

ow that we’ve gotten my problems with the control schemes that aren’t a GameCube controller out of the way, let’s get down to gameplay. Many have commented that the game feels slower than Melee and that a lot of the characters have been nerfed or altered. While I felt this same way immediately, after dumping many hours into the game and going back to the GameCube game, I didn’t really feel like it was tuned down that much. That isn’t to say there aren’t balance issues, however.

Some characters, like Bowser, are just too ridiculously powerful. There are certain smash attacks that deal too much damage (Ike’s side smash, Bowser’s side smash for two hits and, still, Link’s stupid down thrust from the air). These can deal upwards of 50% per hit and, for most combatants, that’s half their life, if not more (Pikachu and Kirby get tossed really easily). Some things, however, have been tuned down for the better, like Samus’s charged shot and Fox’s laser beam (it no longer traps you like it did in Melee). Overall, though, there is an amazing balance between the fighters that means not one single character is usually favored over others in 4-player conflicts. That is, unless you’re Snake, in which case everyone in the game is favored against you. Seriously, Snake’s attacks take way too long to execute and leave him open the entire match. Sad, we know.

It’s time we addressed the biggest problem in the game: Wi-Fi play. While online play was smooth when I played the game with Joystiq’s Kyle Orland, now that the public has it, every 4-player match is filled with nothing but lag. It’s really bad, actually, and keeps the fun local. Unless you have some friends for multiplayer in your house, don’t expect to enjoy non-CPU competition on any kind of consistent basis.

Should Nintendo figure out what the issues with the online play are, Smash Bros. Brawl will have hopefully paved the way for future releases on the Wii to utilize, if not expand, the Wi-Fi features within it. It has status tracking for your friends, has a good lobby system for keeping the action rolling along (not kicking you out of the room after every match is such a good design choice) and allows users to share their own content. These are the steps Nintendo needs to take with future releases so that they aren’t the laughing stock of the online console community.

Finally, I feel I need to mention the game’s graphics. They never played a huge part in previous installments and they don’t so much here, but the addition of the Final Smash sequences, as well as the increase in detail to each character model and stage, really make this a great looking game. Add in the great cutscenes from The Subspace Emissary and you have one very nice visual package. The 16:9 support on 480p is a visual treat.
Aside from the often boring Subspace Emissary and the buggy online play, there isn’t much you can fault this game with. It has countless trophies and other collectibles to unlock, a wealth of information on past Nintendo franchises, trials of Virtual Console games, tons of characters to play as (uh, Sonic dude) and an incredible amount of replay value. This is going to be the best game on the Wii this year, if not during the console’s lifespan (seriously, what other game can match the scope of Brawl?). Smash Bros. Brawl is every Nintendo fanboy and fangirl’s dream come true. The only way it could be better was if it included Mega Man as a playable character.

Final Score: 9.5/10

via : nintendowiifanboy.com

¹ Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Henry Cotton Campus, Liverpool L3 2ET

Abstract

Objective To compare the energy expenditure of adolescents when playing sedentary and new generation active computer games. Design Cross sectional comparison of four computer games.

Setting Research laboratories.

Participants Six boys and five girls aged 13-15 years.

Procedure Participants were fitted with a monitoring device validated to predict energy expenditure. They played four computer games for 15 minutes each. One of the games was sedentary (XBOX 360) and the other three were active (Wii Sports).

Main outcome measure Predicted energy expenditure, compared using repeated measures analysis of variance.

Results Mean (standard deviation) predicted energy expenditure when playing Wii Sports bowling (190.6 (22.2) kJ/kg/min), tennis (202.5 (31.5) kJ/kg/min), and boxing (198.1 (33.9) kJ/kg/min) was significantly greater than when playing sedentary games (125.5 (13.7) kJ/kg/min) (P<0.001). Predicted energy expenditure was at least 65.1 (95% confidence interval 47.3 to 82.9) kJ/kg/min greater when playing active rather than sedentary games.

Conclusions Playing new generation active computer games uses significantly more energy than playing sedentary computer games but not as much energy as playing the sport itself. The energy used when playing active Wii Sports games was not of high enough intensity to contribute towards the recommended daily amount of exercise in children.

Introduction

Young people are currently recommended to take an hour of moderate to vigorous physical exercise each day, which should use at least three times as much energy as is used at rest.^{1 2} Many adolescents have mostly sedentary lifestyles,³ however, as a result of a variety of factors. Time spent in front of television and computer screens has been causally linked to physical inactivity and obesity, although the associations are often weak.⁴ The new generation of wireless based computer games is meant to stimulate greater interaction and movement during play. A recent study reported that playing computer games using a hand held controller while seated increased energy expenditure above resting values by 22%, whereas activity based games that require upper body movements and dance games increased energy expenditure by 108% and 172%, respectively.⁵ The new generation of computer games could therefore be a useful addition to the range of opportunities for physical activity available to adolescents. Children spend a large amount of time playing computer games,⁶ and it is difficult to persuade them to relinquish these screen based activities.⁷ Activity promoting computer games might therefore be a useful way to increase activity in young people. In this study, we measured the energy expenditure of adolescent girls and boys playing Nintendo Wii (active) and Microsoft XBOX 360 (inactive) computer games.

Method

Participants and settings
A convenience sample of five girls and six boys aged 13-15 participated in the study. All participants regularly played sedentary computer games for at least two sessions of two hours each week and had not previously used Wii. All girls and boys were competent at sport; they regularly represented their school at hockey or netball (girls) and rugby or soccer (boys). Parents and adolescents consented to the study. Anthropometry
We measured height to the nearest 0.1 cm using a portable stadiometer and weight to the nearest 0.1 kg using a calibrated mechanical flat scale. Measures were taken using standard anthropometric techniques.⁸

Familiarisation
On separate days from experimental trials, participants practised playing on the XBOX 360 and Wii computer consoles. For sedentary gaming, participants completed two races on a single player race mode on the game Project Gotham Racing 3 (XBOX 360) using a wireless hand held controller. For activity promoting gaming, participants completed the training modes for bowling, tennis, and boxing on the Wii Sports computer game. During familiarisation participants wore an IDEEA (intelligent device for energy expenditure and activity) system.

Energy expenditure
After at least two hours of fasting and five minutes of supine rest, we measured resting energy expenditure for six minutes using indirect calorimetry and a face mask. Energy expenditure during gaming was predicted using the previously validated IDEEA system, which can identify the type of activity and measure the intensity of physical activity in free living conditions.⁹ The IDEEA system comprises a small recorder worn at the waist and five sensors attached to three thin and flexible wires that connect to the recorder. Sensors are attached to the centre of the subject’s chest (about 4 cm below the clavicle), the front of each thigh, and the underside of each foot on the outside arch, using porous hypoallergic medical tape. Sensors measure the acceleration and angle of each body segment.¹⁰ Before data collection began, we initialised the IDEEA using each participant’s weight, height, age, and sex and calibrated the sensors. After each trial, we analysed the downloaded and processed data using ActView, a Windows based programme that provides detailed information on the energy expenditure of each activity.

Experimental trial
Each participant performed one experimental trial. The participants first played on Project Gotham Racing 3 (inactive)—they raced against central processing unit opponents for 15 minutes. After a five minute rest they then played on Wii Sports (active). Participants played competitive bowling, tennis, and boxing matches for 15 minutes each, as recommended by Nintendo, with a five minute rest between sports. Once a race, match, or game was completed participants restarted the event and continued to play for 15 minutes. Each child played for a total of 60 minutes.

Data analysis
We hypothesised that participants’ energy expenditure would be greater when playing activity promoting computer games (Wii) than when playing sedentary computer games (XBOX 360). Data were analysed using a one way repeated measures analysis of variance with corrected post hoc paired t tests.¹¹ We used SPSS for statistical analyses and set statistical significance at P0.05.

Results

Table 1 and the figure give the participants’ characteristics and body mass adjusted values for resting energy expenditure and predicted energy expenditure during gaming.

View larger version (24K): [in this window] [in a new window] [PowerPoint Slide for Teaching] Participants’ mean resting energy expenditure and predicted energy expenditure when playing computer games

View this table: [in this window] [in a new window] Table 1  Participants’ characteristics and energy expenditure

All games significantly increased predicted energy expenditure above resting energy expenditure (P<0.001). The boys’ predicted energy expenditure was significantly greater than that of the girls during Wii Sports tennis (P=0.013). Predicted energy expenditure was significantly greater for all activity promoting Wii Sports games than for inactive games on the XBOX 360 (P<0.001). Table 2 compares energy expenditure found in this study with energy expenditure during various sports and activities. More energy is used when actually bowling, boxing, or playing tennis than when playing the Wii versions of these sports.

View this table: [in this window] [in a new window] Table 2  Mean energy expenditure for all participants during gaming and various sports and activities

Discussion

Predicted energy expenditure was at least 51% greater during active gaming than during sedentary gaming. This equates to an increase in energy expenditure of 250 kJ (60 kcal) an hour during active gaming compared with sedentary gaming. In a typical week of computer play for these participants, active gaming rather than passive gaming would increase total energy expenditure by less than 2%^{13 14}; although this figure is trivial it might contribute to weight management. Active gaming used less energy than authentic bowling, tennis, and boxing, and the exercise was not intense enough to contribute towards the recommended amount of daily physical activity for children.² Nevertheless, new generation computer games stimulated positive activity behaviours—the children were on their feet and they moved in all directions while performing basic motor control and fundamental movement skills that were not evident during seated gaming. Given the current prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity, such positive behaviours should be encouraged. Sex comparisons interestingly showed that, although all participants were competent sportspeople, the boys’ predicted energy expenditure during active gaming was greater than that of the girls, significantly so for tennis. Such differences may therefore indicate enhanced interactive effects of active gaming in boys and additional advantages in terms of energy expenditure.

Limitations
The study has several limitations. Firstly, the IDEEA accurately estimates free living and physical activity energy expenditure, but the monitor does not detect arm movements well.⁹ Energy expenditure may therefore have been underestimated during active gaming, which involves arm movements. The use of this system was supported by a recent method comparison study, however, which used the IDEEA as its criterion measure.¹⁵ Secondly, the study was laboratory based and may not have replicated conditions in the home. However, the children followed the instructions provided for home use, and energy responses are unlikely to be significantly different in a home based study. Thirdly, although we detected statistically significant differences in energy expenditure, our study was small and results are applicable only to lean, sports competent 12-15 year old adolescents and to the Wii Sports computer game, which is more active than other Wii games. Finally, we did not randomise the order of gaming during trials. This was because the children’s availability was limited and because we wanted to make the experimental design as efficient as possible.

What is already known on this topic Computer games have been implicated in obesity and inactivity in young people Little information is available on the activity levels of young people when playing new generation computer games What this study adds New generation computer games significantly increased energy expenditure compared with sedentary games These increases were of insufficient intensity to contribute towards recommendations for children’s daily exercise

Conclusion
Activity promoting new generation active computer games significantly increased participants’ energy expenditure compared with sedentary games, but not to the same extent as the authentic sports. Further research is needed to investigate the energy demands of active gaming across sexes, ages, and consoles.

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Thanks to Greg Atkinson (Liverpool John Moores University) for statistical support and to students from Ormskirk school for their participation. Contributors: GS and NTC conceived the study. NTC secured funding. NDR, GS, and LG helped plan and design the study. LG, NDR, and GS collected the data. GS and LG manipulated and analysed the data. GS and LG wrote the manuscript and all authors supplied comments. LG is guarantor.

Funding: This work was funded by Cake, marketing arm of Nintendo UK.

Competing interests: None declared.

Ethical approval: Liverpool John Moores University ethics committee.

Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

via : bmj.com