Can a kick-butt video game avatar make you healthier?

[Morgaine Christensen]

Not sure if this was ever posted, some of you might like to read the article, especially if you participated in the research.

http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2012/1105-virtual-reality-could-help-people-lose-weight-fight-prejudice-says-mu-researcher/

http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/computers/stories/can-a-kick-butt-video-game-avatar-make-you-healthier

[Griffin Ceawlin]

Yep. Posted not long ago.

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/General-Discussion-Forum/Can-a-macho-video-game-avatar-make-you-healthier/m-p/1728755#M82876

[Phil Deakins]

In the first article:- In Behm-Morawitz’s study, 279 users of a virtual reality community, Second Life, answered a questionnaire [...]

The second article report only 249 for the same study, but the exact number doesn't matter. What I want to know is how that researcher got 279 SL users to fill out a questionaire. It's rare for a researcher to get many participants here, even for those that appear to be quite good. And I assume researchers get a similar, generally negative, response in other SL forums. So where did 279/249 come from? Can it be believed or did the researcher invent most participants to make the research appear to be quite reasonable?

[Amie Kaestner]

It would be cool if motion capture was introduced to SL and we could convery our expressions and hand gestures through our characters while sitting at our computers. Would be kinda awkward if you're a habitual nose picker though...

[Syo Emerald]

---

Amie Kaestner wrote:

It would be cool if motion capture was introduced to SL and we could convery our expressions and hand gestures through our characters while sitting at our computers. Would be kinda awkward if you're a habitual nose picker though...

---

I'm curious to see how you try to get some affordable, easy to use motion capture technology. Motion capture is currently used by some people who create animations.

[Tex Monday]

Doesn't work if you're eating cheetos and drinking red bull while playing....:matte-motes-sunglasses-1:

http://www.diseaseproof.com/uploads/image/1008_chunky_stan.jpg

 

[Ceka Cianci]

i'm gonna say anything that keeps you in the chair longer is probably not as healthy as what keeps you out of it..

[Melita Magic]

---

Ceka Cianci wrote:

i'm gonna say anything that keeps you in the chair longer is probably not as healthy as what keeps you out of it..

---

I'd tend to agree. 

It was an interesting study though.