An esports organization recently published some of the best virtual reality (VR) boxing games for 2023. The list included household names such as All-in-One Sports VR, Virtual Boxing League, and Mech League Boxing. Topping the list is BoxVR, which was used in a New York University (NYU) study published in Games for Health Journal.
According to Games for Health, the study investigated the impact of boxing exercise with a virtual reality (VR) game vs. with a guided video on anxiety, stress, and function in adolescents.
Participants were randomly assigned to cohorts with the Oculus Rift BoxVR game, boxing with a workout video, or a non-intervention control. The BoxVR and guided video groups participated in 10-minute exercise sessions five times a week for three weeks.
Virtual reality (VR) boxing takes the win in reducing stress and improving cognitive function, said a New York University (NYU) press release announcing the study, which shows that boxing as a form of exercise can have mental health benefits for adolescents. This population is already known to show higher stress levels than adults.
The NYU statement added that in an experiment conducted with 42 students between the ages 14 and 18, Steinhardt Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Anat Lubetzky and her co-author Rose Cioffi studied three groups: one to play BOXVR on the Oculus Rift—a virtual reality gaming headset, one to use a guided boxing exercise on YouTube; and a control group. The non-control groups participated in 10-minute exercise sessions weekly for three weeks.
During the study, Lubetzky was partly supported by an Early Career Researcher grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated anxiety and stress in adolescents, a population already known to show higher stress levels than adults. We are looking for accessible, healthy, non-pharmaceutical methods to improve adolescents’ mental, emotional, and physical well-being,” said Lubetzky. “This study is an exciting first step. While the sample size was small, and the results are preliminary, the study took place in a school setting, and the adolescents who participated in the BOXVR group greatly enjoyed it.”
Lubetzky and Cioffi (a student at Ossining High School at the time of the study) measured executive functions (higher-level cognitive functions, including visual scanning and working memory) using Trail Making Tests (TMT) A and B that asked participants to connect consecutive circles randomly arranged on a page. TMT A uses numbers, while TMT B uses numbers and letters.
Compared to the guided boxing video, the authors found statistical evidence that BoxVR reduced adolescent stress and improved executive function on the TMT B results. The BoxVR group also reported significantly greater enjoyment after each session than the guided video group. However, all three groups showed improvements in executive function on the TMT A tests.
The authors note that while their study shows the positive effects of VR fitness games, future studies should investigate how these games may “augment the mental and psychological benefits of exercise, thus potentially providing an alternate method of stress reduction in adolescents that is efficacious, engaging, and simple to implement in the school setting.”
Researchers had participants self-report using the Psychological Stress Experience-Short Form, Pediatric Anxiety Short Form, and Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale, respectively.
Special Issue: #Games for #MentalHealth@GamesforHealthJ has brought together a collection of research studies from diverse regions focused on supporting the treatment and assessment of mental health as a result of playing games. Read the full issue: https://t.co/GcEi9DOYA9 pic.twitter.com/fG3pvHgCBK
— Mary Ann Liebert Inc (@LiebertPub) December 6, 2022
Did you know recent research from the National Institues of Health suggests that gaming may lead to better cognitive performance in children? https://t.co/USdVVVcElr
— Games for Health Journal (@GamesforHealthJ) November 21, 2022
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