Motivating Effects of Cooperative Exergame Play for Overweight and Obese Adolescents

<jats:sec><jats:title>Background:</jats:title><jats:p> Exergames (i.e., video games that require gross motor activity) may provide intrinsically motivating experiences that engage youth in sustained physical activity. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Method:</jats:title><jats:p> Thirty-one low-income 15– to 19-year-old overweight and obese African American adolescents were randomly assigned to a competitive exergame ( n = 17) or a cooperative exergame ( n = 14) condition. Participants played a preassigned Wii Active exergame routine that took between 30 and 60 min each school day, and sessions occurred during lunch time or an after-school program over a 6 month period. Participation was voluntary, so students decided whether to come or not on a given day. Cooperative exergame players worked together with a peer to expend calories and earn points, while competitive exergame players competed individually against a peer to expend calories and earn points. Motivation was measured through surveys and interviews at the end of the intervention, and energy expenditure was measured by accelerometry during game play. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results:</jats:title><jats:p> Compared with the competitive group, the cooperative players were significantly more intrinsically motivated to play ( p = .034, partial eta-squared = 0.366) and more psychologically attracted to the design of the exergame ( p = .034, partial eta-squared = 0.320). Intrinsic motivation was significantly positively correlated with energy expenditure during game play: Individuals who were motivated by control/choice had higher energy expenditure ( p = .026), and those who were more goal motivated ( p = .004) and more immersed in game play ( p = .024) had lower energy expenditure during game play. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions:</jats:title><jats:p> Cooperative exergame play produced higher intrinsic motivation to play the exergame than competitive exergame play did. Intrinsic motivation that came from a desire for control/choice was related to higher energy expenditure during game play. Cooperative exergame play holds promise as a method for engaging overweight and obese youth in physical activity. </jats:p></jats:sec>