Effect of exercise setting on energy expenditure and enjoyment during active virtual reality gaming

INTRODUCTION: Recent work by our lab (Gomez, et al., 2018) has shown that active virtual reality games (AVRGs) can elicit exercise intensities that meet recommended exercise guidelines for preventative health benefits. However, much of the work focusing on this topic has been limited to laboratory settings. PURPOSE: Investigate differences •n energy expenditure (VO2) and enjoyment of college-aged students while playing AVRGs in different settings (lab, gym, home). METHODS: A repeated measures design was used with 32 participants (16 males, 16 females, Age 22.6 ± 2.6 yrs), all of whom completed two 45-minute AVRG sessions in the lab and gym. A subset of 4 participants completed an additional home session. RESULTS: Significant differences in VO2, F ( l, 28) = 9.128,/? = .005 were observed between AVRGs. However, differences in VO2 and enjoyment failed to reach significance (p = .076) between settings. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that the setting in which AVRGs are played neither affects how enjoyable they are perceived nor the intensity in which they are played.