The claims of calorie burning from use of a Wii gaming system and alternatives are explored.
It is a little easier to get a Wii now that the “Holiday Season” is over, if the buyer wants to purchase a bundle for around $600 dollars. Around January, it was still necessary to purchase the popular game system off a truck or on Ebay (The “Buy It Now” price was around $349.00 at that time.). Nintendo managed to convince the general public that the Wii was a wonderful exercise tool, that overweight children everywhere would burn calories almost as if they were really playing tennis! A further examination of this claim is certainly warranted.
One study out of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK states that using Wii controllers burns forty percent more calories—than using other game console controllers such as those provided with X-Box, PS 2, and Game Cube! This was based on 12 and a half hours of gaming per week, translating into a burn up of over 1800 extra calories!
However, it should be noted here that the activity levels generated by the Wii compare poorly to a comparable amount of outdoor play. The same amount of bicycling burns up around 4500 calories. A comparable amount of moderate walking burns 1950, while a general basketball game might burn around 3400. This is based on the same 12 and a half hours per week, under 2 hours a day. This translates into a shocking amount of time to spend on a gaming system; normal amount of play for a growing child. Also compare the price of a good kid’s bicycle to the price of a Wii, plus games. Walking and running around are still free.
