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Playing Active Video Games may not develop movement skills: An intervention trial.
Lisa M Barnett1, Nicola D Ridgers2, John Reynolds3
1Deakin University, School of Health and Social Development, Burwood Hwy, Burwood, VIC, Australia.
Preventive Medicine Reports
|February 5, 2016
Summary
Playing Active Video Games for six weeks did not significantly improve children's object control skills or their perception of these skills. While enjoyable, the games did not translate to real-world ability improvements.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric physical activity
- Motor skill development
- Game-based learning
Background:
- Investigating the impact of Active Video Games (AVGs) on children's motor skills.
- Assessing both actual and perceived object control skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if playing AVGs enhances children's object control abilities.
- To evaluate the effect of AVGs on children's self-perception of movement skills.
Main Methods:
- A 6-week intervention where children played AVGs (1 hour/week).
- Object control skills assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2.
- Perceived object control skills measured with the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence.
- Linear mixed models analyzed changes in skills over time and between intervention/control groups.
Main Results:
- Object control skills improved across all children over time (p=0.006).
- No significant difference in skill improvement was found between the AVG intervention group and the control group (p=0.913).
- Perceived object control skills also showed no significant change due to the intervention.
Conclusions:
- While AVGs may introduce children to sports, the studied duration and intensity are insufficient for significant skill development.
- Children enjoyed the AVGs but did not see them as equivalent to 'real-life' physical activities.
