title: Physiological and psychophysiological responses to an exer-game training protocol.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Exer-games and virtual reality offer alternative opportunities to provide neuro-rehabilitation and exercise that are fun. Our goal was to determine how effective they are in achieving motor learning goals and fitness benefits as players gain experience.
  
  
  METHODS
  We employed a repeated measures design to determine changes in physical exertion and engagement with training.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen healthy adults trained on the XBOX Kinect video game Dance Central using a skill-based protocol to examine changes in energy expenditure (EE), heart rate (HR), METs, limb movement, game proficiency, and player engagement in initial, post-training, and transfer-testing of a full-body dance exer-game. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance, p<0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both EE, HR, and METs increased from initial (EE 4.89±1.35, HR 103±18, METs 4.25±0.72) to post-training (EE 5.92±1.25, HR 110±15, METs 5.05±0.75) and were greatest during transfer-testing (EE 6.34±1.35, HR 115±17, METs 5.42±0.88, p≤0.001). Proficiency, measured by game scores, also increased from initial to post-training and transfer-testing (p≤0.002). Limb movement and player engagement remained unchanged.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is important to understand whether player physiological and psychophysiological responses change with continued game-play. Although Dance Central involves whole-body movement, physical exertion remained at moderate levels after training. As exer-game and virtual reality systems move from their initial novelty, research about how players react to continued involvement with a game can guide game developers to maintain a freshness through game progression that preserves the participant's attentional focus, minimizes attrition and maintains a prescribed level of energy exertion.
authors.affiliation: ADAM Center, Dept. of Physical Therapy, Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences, Northeastern University, USA. Electronic address: shaw.bronner@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Shaw
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bronner
authors.affiliation: ADAM Center, Health Sciences, Long Island University, USA.
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pinsker
authors.affiliation: ADAM Center, Division of Sports Sciences, Long Island University, USA.
authors.forename: Rutika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Naik
authors.affiliation: Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: J Adam
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Noah
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003615:Dancing; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D018910:Video Games; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dance; Energy expenditure; Engagement; Exercise; METs; Video games