I know you have heard this question a lot. I think at first when they wanted a unique word for Active Video Game (god, this phrase is so long and in terms of word limitation, it's killing) they did not consider it scientifically. At least we did not see a lot of research on this fancy word.
Exergames is a portmanteau of Exercise and Game and it is a shortcut for Active Video Games. At the moment, I think it may not mean exercise (planned physical activity) and gaming because follow up studies have not been performed. I believe the idea of considering exergames as a planned regular physical activity (exercise) and checking if they have the potential to be called exercise, worth doing research.
The triangle of Serious Game Design has three aspects: Theory, Content, and Game Design and each aspect has its own branches. If an exergame (O.K. Lets call it Active Video Game again) wants to be considered as a real exercise, it should be planned and be done regularly.
In "Theory" section, you have Learning, Perception, and Gender (for example). If you learn how to play the game easier with less effort, the chance of performing it again may decrease. If the game is designed for a specific gender (or mostly being performed by a certain gender), you may not be able to force the others to do it regularly (We observed this in the mostra a lot: Playing Justin Bieber's song and expecting guys to come and dance in a way that girls do).
In "Content" section, you have Social Issues, Corporate Training, Ecology (for example). Due to limitation of gaming platforms, you may not expect the same enjoyment and technique as you have in real sports and remember: Everything was designed in advance and you should follow the moves. There are some research performed to consider social playing and they also concluded that when exergames are played socially (with another opponent or through online opponents), energy expenditure is significantly higher and sometimes it's even higher than real sports.
In "Game Design" section, you have Fun, Level Design, 3D-2D (for example). Fun is an important rule in continuing performing a physical activity. I have not encountered a lot of research comparing fun side of different games but from what I personally saw in practice, they loose the fun side easily (because I believe you always play in a passive mode, you just have to follow). So even in the most interesting games, you should not expect playing forever and ever. Now consider other parameters like level design and graphics too.
The triangle of Serious Game Design has three aspects: Theory, Content, and Game Design and each aspect has its own branches. If an exergame (O.K. Lets call it Active Video Game again) wants to be considered as a real exercise, it should be planned and be done regularly.
In "Theory" section, you have Learning, Perception, and Gender (for example). If you learn how to play the game easier with less effort, the chance of performing it again may decrease. If the game is designed for a specific gender (or mostly being performed by a certain gender), you may not be able to force the others to do it regularly (We observed this in the mostra a lot: Playing Justin Bieber's song and expecting guys to come and dance in a way that girls do).
In "Content" section, you have Social Issues, Corporate Training, Ecology (for example). Due to limitation of gaming platforms, you may not expect the same enjoyment and technique as you have in real sports and remember: Everything was designed in advance and you should follow the moves. There are some research performed to consider social playing and they also concluded that when exergames are played socially (with another opponent or through online opponents), energy expenditure is significantly higher and sometimes it's even higher than real sports.
In "Game Design" section, you have Fun, Level Design, 3D-2D (for example). Fun is an important rule in continuing performing a physical activity. I have not encountered a lot of research comparing fun side of different games but from what I personally saw in practice, they loose the fun side easily (because I believe you always play in a passive mode, you just have to follow). So even in the most interesting games, you should not expect playing forever and ever. Now consider other parameters like level design and graphics too.
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