The effect of animated Sci-Fi characters' racial presentation on narrative engagement, wishful identification, and physical activity intention among children.

Characters play an integral role in animated narratives, but their visual racial presentation has received limited attention. A diverse group of U.S.

Active Video Game Interventions Targeting Physical Activity Behaviors: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Research on digital games designed to increase physical activity (PA), also known as exergames or active video games (AVGs), has proliferated over the past 2 decades. As a result, reviews of literature in this field can become outdated, revealing the need for updated high-quality reviews that identify overarching insights. Furthermore, given the significant heterogeneity in AVG research, study inclusion criteria may significantly influence conclusions.

The effect of narrative element incorporation on physical activity and game experience in active and sedentary virtual reality games.

Unlabelled: Narratives are pervasive in video games and have been found to increase physical activity in active video games. However, the effect of incorporating narrative elements has seldom been examined in fully immersive virtual reality games. We investigated the effect of narrative element incorporation (between-subject: narrative vs.

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Effect of Active Video Games on Postural Balance.

Objective: To conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of active video game (AVG) interventions on postural balance across all ages in populations with and without neurologic impairments, using all types of platforms.

Data Source: Six databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Sport Discus, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) were reviewed by December 31, 2020.

Study Selection: The protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO: CRD42020204191).

How much did it cost to develop and implement an eHealth intervention for a minority children population that overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic?

Background: eHealth interventions using active video games (AVGs) offer an alternative method to help children exercise, especially during a pandemic where options are limited. There is limited data on costs associated with developing and implementing such interventions.

Objectives: We quantified the costs of delivering an eHealth RCT intervention among minority children during COVID-19.

Running an active gaming-based randomized controlled trial during the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges, solutions and lessons learned.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant obstacles for clinical trials and human subject research. This paper discusses the challenges our study team encountered while implementing an eHealth intervention during the pandemic, including: increased dropout, cancellation and rescheduling rates, increased mailing returns and delays, social distancing impediments, COVID-19 positive team members, and restricted training access.

Study Design: This is a short paper on research protocol for a six-month randomized controlled single-blind trial.

What Type of Body Shape Moves Children? An Experimental Exploration of the Impact of Narrative Cartoon Character Body Shape on Children's Narrative Engagement, Wishful Identification, and Exercise Motivation.

Background: The incorporation of narratives helps to enhance children's engagement in active video games (AVGs), thus increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Specific narrative elements, such as the visual representation of the characters' body shape, have been rarely manipulated to explore their role in modulating children's narrative engagement (NE) and exercise motivation.

Objective: To investigate the effects of character body shape manipulation (overweight/obese, average, or athletic slim) on children's narrative immersion (NI), NE, wishful identification (WI), as well as their mediating effect on AVG and PA motivation.

Rapid component of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption of children of different weight status after playing active video games.

Background: Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) of children could indicate the potential of an exercise therapy to treat or prevent obesity. However, EPOC as a result of playing active video games (AVG) has been poorly investigated. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the rapid component of EPOC of children with healthy weight and overweight/obesity (according to their BMI percentile) after playing AVGs that feature predominately upper body (UB) and whole-body (WB) movement.

Comparison of Inhibitory Control After Acute Bouts of Exergaming Between Children with Obesity and Their Normal-Weight Peers.

The benefits of exergaming on executive function in children have been increasingly reported; however, weight-dependent effects of exergames on executive function, and inhibitory control in particular, remain poorly understood. We examined performance on an inhibitory control task at baseline and following acute bouts of exergaming in children who varied in weight status. Forty 8-12-year-old children with obesity ( = 20) and normal weight ( = 20) performed neutral, congruent, and incongruent conditions of a Victoria Stroop Test (VST) before and after exergames through an Xbox One in an elementary classroom.

The impact of narratives and active video games on long-term moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: A randomized controlled trial protocol.

Background: Although physical activity (PA) has been shown in helping prevent and treat obesity, current PA interventions are still not effective in ameliorating the obesity epidemic. Additional forms of PA need to be investigated to improve PA engagement and outcomes. We hypothesize that pairing a narrative (i.

Correction: The Effect of Narrative on Physical Activity via Immersion During Active Video Game Play in Children: Mediation Analysis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/17994.].

The Effect of Narrative on Physical Activity via Immersion During Active Video Game Play in Children: Mediation Analysis.

Background: Active video games (AVGs) can increase physical activity (PA) and help produce higher physiological expenditure. Animated narrative videos (NVs) possess unique immersive and motivational properties. When added to AVGs, they have been found to increase moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) as opposed to the original no video condition.

Using Narrative Game Design to Increase Children's Physical Activity: Exploratory Thematic Analysis.

Background: Physical activity is crucial for child obesity prevention and intervention. Narratives embedded in active games can increase children's physical activity.

Objective: Little is known about the narrative characteristics that would motivate children to exercise.

Exploring Energy Expenditure and Body Movement of Exergaming in Children of Different Weight Status.

Purpose: This study examined differences in energy expenditure and bodily movement among children of different weight status during exergames that varied in mode and intensity.

Methods: Fifty-seven 8- to 12-year-old children including overweight/obesity (n = 28) and normal weight (n = 29) played three 10-minute interval Xbox One exergames (Fruit Ninja, Kung-Fu, and Shape Up) categorized based on predominantly upper-, whole-, or lower-limb movement, respectively. The authors measured bodily movement through accelerometry and obtained energy expenditure and metabolic equivalent (MET) via indirect calorimetry.

Videogames That Encourage Healthy Behavior Did Not Alter Fasting Insulin or Other Diabetes Risks in Children: Randomized Clinical Trial.

Previous research indicates games for health have substantial promise in promoting change in children's diet and physical activity (PA) behavior for obesity and diabetes prevention, but the research has generally not been rigorous. The study reported here was an efficacy trial of two role-playing videogames played in sequence, "Escape from Diab" (hereinafter called Diab) and "Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space" (hereinafter called Nano), on diabetes and obesity risk factors: fasting insulin and body mass index (BMI), and risk-related behaviors: diet, PA, and sedentary behavior (SB). A two-group (treatment vs.

Nutrition Education and Dietary Behavior Change Games: A Scoping Review.

Games provide an attractive venue for engaging participants and increasing nutrition-related knowledge and dietary behavior change, but no review has appeared devoted to this literature. A scoping review of nutrition education and dietary behavior change videogames or interactive games was conducted. A systematic search was made of PubMed, Agricola, and Google Scholar.

Application and Validation of Activity Monitors' Epoch Lengths and Placement Sites for Physical Activity Assessment in Exergaming.

We assessed the agreement of two ActiGraph activity monitors (wGT3X vs. GT9X) placed at the hip and the wrist and determined an appropriate epoch length for physical activity levels in an exergaming setting. Forty-seven young adults played a 30-min exergame while wearing wGT3X and GT9X on both hip and wrist placement sites and a heart rate sensor below the chest.

Narrative and active video game in separate and additive effects of physical activity and cognitive function among young adults.

Physically active video games (AVGs) have been found to positively impact physical activity behaviors, especially when a narrative is added. However, the motivational and cognitive benefits of adding narrative to AVG are unclear. We examined the separate and additive effects of narrative and AVG on physical activity and cognitive function versus an active comparator, such as a sedentary video game (SVG).

Does Narrative Feedback Enhance Children's Motor Learning in a Virtual Environment?

Augmented feedback has motivational and informational functions in motor learning, and is a key feature of practice in a virtual environment (VE). This study evaluated the impact of narrative (story-based) feedback as compared to standard feedback during practice of a novel task in a VE on typically developing children's motor learning, motivation and engagement. Thirty-eight children practiced navigating through a virtual path, receiving narrative or non-narrative feedback following each trial.

A State-of-the-Art Systematic Content Analysis of Games for Health.

As the field of games for health continues to gain momentum, it is crucial to document the field's scale of growth, identify design patterns, and to address potential design issues for future health game development. Few studies have explored the attributes and usability features of games for health as a whole over time. We offer the first comprehensive systematic content analysis of digital games for health by examining 1743 health games released between 1983 and 2016 in 23 countries extracted from nine international English health game databases and directories.

Screen Media Exposure and Obesity in Children and Adolescents.

Obesity is one of the best-documented outcomes of screen media exposure. Many observational studies find relationships between screen media exposure and increased risks of obesity. Randomized controlled trials of reducing screen time in community settings have reduced weight gain in children, demonstrating a cause and effect relationship.

The Narrative Impact of Active Video Games on Physical Activity Among Children: A Feasibility Study.

Background: Active video games (AVGs) capable of inducing physical activity offer an innovative approach to combating childhood obesity. Unfortunately, children's AVG game play decreases quickly, underscoring the need to identify novel methods for player engagement. Narratives have been demonstrated to influence behaviors.

Children's Cognitive and Affective Responses About a Narrative Versus a Non-Narrative Cartoon Designed for an Active Videogame.

Objective: This article presents the results of interviews conducted with children regarding their cognitive and affective responses toward a narrative and a non-narrative cartoon. The findings will be used to further explore the role of a narrative in motivating continued active videogame play.

Materials And Methods: Twenty children (8-11 years old of mixed gender) watched two cartoons (narrative and non-narrative) and were subsequently interviewed.