British Study Claims The Wii Does Not Help Much with Weight Loss
By Stephany on Saturday, December 22nd, 2007 at 1:34 PM PST In Game Companies, Gamer Life, Games, Games Industry, Nintendo, Nintendo
According to a recent study in a British Medical Journal, playing Wii Sports only uses 2% more energy than gamers who use the Xbox 360. The study included six boys and five girls between 13 and 15 years old, and the study found that playing Wii Sports only expended 60kcal per hour, and because of this minimal amount of calorie burning, children and others are being advised instead to “take an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise each day, such as playing football.” Apparently, time spent in front of television and computer screens has been linked to obesity due to physical inactivity. REALLY? Wow, thanks for telling is that!
What gets me about this study, is not so much the statement that playing Wii Sports (Wii Fit was not tested apparently) does not contribute much overall to a healthy lifestyle and to go outside and do something instead, but one of the authors states that “although this figure is trivial, it might contribute to weight management.” So which is it? Stay inside and play with your Wii (lol) or go outside and catch a cold? People with even the most minimal amount of intelligence, and I use the word minimal heavily, have enough juice pumping through their brain stems to realize that a gaming console does not take the place of actually moving about to work up a sweat. This study, once again, proves that doctors and scientists will and can say anything to prove or disprove something that is counterproductive to the wares they are trying to sell. Quit using hard earned government and university funds to tell us something we already know – instead find a cure for the Ebola virus, or figure out how to drop your prices so that everyone of any monetary means can afford excellent health care. Better yet work on building a health care system that actually works – anything is better than a moronic study trying to prove something that we already know.
Via: BBC News
“or figure out how to drop your prices so that everyone of any monetary means can afford excellent health care”
I still cant believe you guys actually have to pay to get treated lol
I have always taken free health-care totally for granted but we get far better treatment free than most Americans who pay. I believe the poorest Brits have a longer life expectancy than the top earning Americans and thats because even the poorest brits get treated for anything thats wrong with them all their life for free. Anything at all. We even give people sex changes for free.
Its bizarre that Americans think socialised health-care is bad when most of the world sees it as a basic right. Yet thats because your government tells you its bad and they make huge amounts of money from making you pay.
Its also funny how you think that socialised health-care is bad yet you seem to think socialised Schools, Police, Fire Service and Libraries are OK.
Oddly enough, it does help with bloodloss, moneyloss, and shitloss.
This article said it right. Spend the money on something usefull damnit !
It’s odd how America has all the best medical equipment, has short waiting times, and invents all the drugs… oh wait, we pay for it.
wow, so america is first at discovering a workaround to cancer, just means brits and the rest of western euro and canada will get it in about 30 days after america. medical science isnt grounds to keep. information like that will be shared with all medical facilities.
so nice try there.
I don’t think the study was trivial. Some people bought the Wii becasue they thought it was better to stand and play than to sit. So people actually DID believe the Wii was a healthier alternative. God Bless researchers, and the researchers who conducted this study aren’t the same that study human biological or germs. And I dont think going outside to play football or a winter sport will make you catch a cold. In fact the opposite is true. Sitting inside, not doing any strenuous work will weaken your immune system, while an hour of vigorous exercise has proven to boost the immune system.
@ alminagir
You say the US has the best medical equipment. Fantastic. How does that help the 1 in 6 people who dont have medical insurance? Fuck em eh? How does that help the millions of others who have medical insurance but who’s conditions get so serious that the insurance wont cover it all? Fuck them too I suppose?
I know he can be a total twat but you should watch the Michael Moore documentary ‘Sicko’. If you watch it with an open mind (and a bit of intelligence) you will realise how much you are being shafted.
wow.. lazy asses.
whoever thought that playing a game for hours on end burns alot of calories is a complete idiot
(those scientists are idiots for testing that kinda bs)
Scientists test everything kenny; it’s their job to do so. It’s also their job to prove right or wrong things which people take for granted as right or wrong – it’s not just that it is, it’s WHY it is.
“The study included six boys and five girls between 13 and 15 years old”
How can testing on eleven people, children at that, give any conclusive results? What would happen if major drug companies tested on just eleven people… Its bullshit for results and stating what is blatantly fucking obvious. No shit playing video games doesn’t help you lose weight.
Two words go great with this entire study:
No shit.
New medical technology and treatments that are developed here wont hit the UK for 3 years, so die of cancer 3 years after the cure is invented? K? I’ll pay for my healthcare, thanks.
why the fuck are we arguing about whether we should pay for our medical treatment in a forum about computer games :S
lol, scientists r noobs, they just conducted the study so tht they could get their hands on Wii’s and hav sum fun.
“# alminagir says:
December 22nd, 2007 at 4:22 pm
It’s odd how America has all the best medical equipment, has short waiting times, and invents all the drugs… oh wait, we pay for it.”
Yes, congratulations, we do that also in the “rest of the world” Also I very much doubts America really invents all the drugs, what has America ever really invented (ie not just “borrowed” from someone else)
I don’t remember nintendo ever claiming the Wii helped people loose weight either. they may have said it is good exercise, but never specifically that is helps people loose weight.
It al sound rather Jack Thompson-eqsue… half the effort, half the result, makes them look like idiots, randomly claiming things with little evidence (”GTA makes kids commit crimes! I read that somewhere, and I don’t like video games so I’ll claim its true!”)…
To Norbit
Do you honestly believe that bullshit that you just threw up. If your health care system is so great why is it that the UK has a higher death rate than America? Why is it that America has a growing population while the UK is just barely above replacement capacity?(infact this is most of Europe) I’ll admit the America has a tendency to leave many members of our society in the dust, but at the same time we help many others. Do you have any idea how many illegal immigrants get free health care? They dont even pay taxes and they get it.
Not to mention if the UK is so amazing why is it that it is still behind the US in almost everything? Do you have any idea why the European Union was formed? Its so that European nations could stand a chance economically against the United States.
Try taking a course in International Comparative Politics, then maybe you will actually know what you are talking about.
Geez, there is so much that I need to put in here and so little space to do it.. oh well
Anyway let me make one final point.
In this day and age America has become the focal point for a lot of hatred around the world. It used to be that others would say that Americans were good, but there politicians were bad; however this has changed. But it would seem that the rest of the world doesnt seem to rememeber any of he good that the US has done. Who saved Europe from being trampled under by the Nazi war maching? The US. Who carried the world on its back after it was ravaged by WWII? The US. Please, name something that the UK has done that even matches up to that. You see, the US is the only country in the world who has the balls to actually take action against imminent threats, yet everyone seems to have no problem putting them up on the chopping block when things go wrong. I’ll admit that we are too arrogant for our own good, but we are still the most powerful and affluent nation in the world, and it will take something of apocalyptic proportions to change that.
“I still cant believe you guys actually have to pay to get treated lol”
I actually don’t pay a dime for my medical care, but that’s because I have 100% medical from the VA for being a disabled vet. So I get free care, but it’s crappy free care. What does suck is that I cannot get any kind of insurance outside the VA because of the whole pre-existing thing. So basically if I ever have an emergency and I am not close to a VA hospital, I am screwed big time.