Purpose: To examine energy expenditure (EE) when playing active and inactive videogames (VG).
Methods: Predicted EE was measured among 51 undergraduate students while playing active and inactive VG (Ontario, Canada).
Results: Predicted EE was significantly higher playing the active VG compared to the inactive VG according to heart rate monitor (97.4 kcal vs 64.7 kcal) and SenseWear armband (192.4 kcal vs 42.3 kcal) estimates.
Conclusion: Active VG may be a viable intervention tool for increasing EE among students who would otherwise be spending time in sedentary screen-based behaviors.