title: Competitive active video games: Physiological and psychological responses in children and adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour in children include replacing sedentary screen time for active video games. Active video game studies have focused principally on the metabolic consumption of a single player, with physiological and psychological responses of opponent-based multiplayer games to be further evaluated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether adding a competitive component to playing active video games impacts physiological and psychological responses in players.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two healthy Caucasian children and adolescents, nine to 14 years years of age, completed three conditions (8 min each) in random order: treadmill walking, and single and opponent-based Kinect active video games. Affect, arousal, rate of perceived exertion, heart rate and percentage of heart rate reserve were measured for each participant and condition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Kinect conditions revealed significantly higher heart rate, percentage of heart rate reserve, rate of perceived exertion and arousal when compared with treadmill walking (P<0.001). Opponent-based condition revealed lower values for the rate of perceived exertion (P=0.02) and higher affect (P=0.022) when compared with single play.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Competitive active video games improved children's psychological responses (affect and rate of perceived exertion) compared with single play, providing a solution that may contribute toward improved adherence to physical activity.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, University CEU-Cardenal Herrera, Valencia;
authors.forename: Juan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Lisón
authors.affiliation: Department of basic and clinical psychology and psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló ; CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III;
authors.forename: Ausias
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cebolla
authors.affiliation: CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III; ; I3BH Innovation & Research Institute on Bioengineering for Humans-Universidad Politécnica de Valencia;
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guixeres
authors.affiliation: CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III; ; Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Unit, Pediatric Department, Consorcio Hospital General Universitario, University of Valencia;
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Álvarez-Pitti
authors.affiliation: Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment, University of Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Escobar
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, University CEU-Cardenal Herrera, Valencia;
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bruñó
authors.affiliation: CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III; ; Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Unit, Pediatric Department, Consorcio Hospital General Universitario, University of Valencia;
authors.forename: Empar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lurbe
authors.affiliation: CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III; ; I3BH Innovation & Research Institute on Bioengineering for Humans-Universidad Politécnica de Valencia;
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alcañiz
authors.affiliation: CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III; ; Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment, University of Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baños
keywords: Children; Physical activity; Sedentarism; Sport psychology; Video games