ArticlePloS one2017
Exergaming: Feels good despite working harder.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Use of active video games with or without videoconferencing on health outcomes in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: a systematic review.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2022Pooled it
- Exercise Videogames, Physical Activity, and Health: Wii Heart Fitness: A Randomized Clinical Trial.American journal of preventive medicine · 2019Trial
- Virtual reality analgesia for burn joint flexibility: A randomized controlled trial.Rehabilitation psychology · 2018Trial
- Sport performance in virtual worlds: a systematic review of sport simulation in neurological paralympic athletes and non-athlete populations.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- The portable wearBands resistance system increases exercise intensity during mixed-reality boxing without reducing enjoyment or flow.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Clinician Perspectives on Incorporating Physical Activity and Sleep Prescriptions Using eHealth for Youth With Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders: Qualitative Focus Group Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Enhancing motivation for initiation and continuation of physical activity in older adults using sensory augmentation devices: a preliminary pre-post study.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Article
- A systematic narrative review of extrinsic strategies to improve affective responses to exercise.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2023Review
- Article
- Development of a Novel Home-Based Exergame With On-Body Feedback: Usability Study.JMIR serious games · 2022Article
- Article
- Exercise Video Games are Associated with More Positive Affective Response, which Predicts Physical Activity Adherence.Psychology of sport and exercise · 2021Article
- Simultaneous Exercise and Cognitive Training in Virtual Reality Phase 2 Pilot Study: Impact on Brain Health and Cognition in Older Adults.Brain plasticity (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2021Article
- Comparison Between Conventional Intervention and Non-immersive Virtual Reality in the Rehabilitation of Individuals in an Inpatient Unit for the Treatment of COVID-19: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- Exergaming With Beat Saber: An Investigation of Virtual Reality Aftereffects.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Article
- Mediators of physical activity between standard exercise and exercise video games.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Strategies to encourage exercise have led to research on cycle ergometer 'exergaming', as a means of enhancing exercise enjoyment. This research has typically prescribed the exercise intensity and used one exercise mode. The aim of this study was to compare self-selected exercise intensity on a cycle ergometer with and without exergaming modes activated. A total of 20 participants aged between 18-40 years (M = 24.2 ± 5.9) completed a sub-maximal exercise test. Participants returned two days later to complete one 45 minute session of self-selected exercise with 15 minutes in each of 'control' (standard ergometer), 'track', and 'game' modes, with order randomized. Heart rate, work rate, perceived exertion, and affective valence were recorded during exercise. Dissociation and enjoyment were recorded in the rest interval between each mode. Participants exercised above ventilatory threshold (VT) in all three modes (track, M = 9.5 ± 12%; game, M = 6.2 ± 12%; and control, M = 4.4 ± 14% above VT) and at higher work rates (P < 0.05) exergaming (track, M = 94.5 ± 27.9; game, M = 96.2 ± 32.8 watts) than control (M = 86.6 ± 26.5 watts). Despite exercising at a higher intensity, participants perceived exercise during the exergaming modes to be most pleasant (P < 0.01), with greater enjoyment (P < 0.01) and dissociation (P < 0.01) in the game than track mode, and both modes higher on these variables than the control mode. Findings support the use of exergaming as a strategy to encourage individuals to exercise, with participants choosing to work harder physiologically, but reporting more positive psychological responses during and following the exercise.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.