The impact of Nintendo Wii to physical education students' balance compared to the traditional approaches

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference between an exergame-based and a traditional balance training program, in undergraduate Physical Education students. Thirty two third-year undergraduate students at the Democritus University of Thrace were randomly divided into two training program groups of 16 students each, a traditional and a Nintendo Wii group. The two training program groups performed a specific balance program for 8 weeks, two times per week, and 24 min per session. The Nintendo Wii group used the interactive games Wii Fit Plus of the Nintendo Wii console, as a training method to improve their balance, while the traditional group used an exercise program with mini trampoline and inflatable discs. Before and after the completion of the eight-week balance program, participants completed a single leg static balance assessment for both limbs on the Biodex stability system. Two-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs), with repeated measures on the last factor, were conducted to determine effect of training program groups (traditional, Nintendo Wii) and measures (pre-test, post-test) on balance test indices (SI, API, and MLI). Where initial differences between groups were verified, one-way analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) were applied. Analysis of the data illustrated that both groups demonstrated an improvement in SI, API and MLI mean scores for the right and the left limp as well. Conclusively, findings support the effectiveness of using the Nintendo Wii gaming console as an intervention for undergraduate Physical Education students, and specifically, its effects on physical function related to balance competence.