将电子游戏与虚拟现实（VR）技术相结合正逐渐被证实为一种具备实质健康效益的锻炼形式。在运动生理学中，代谢当量（MET）常用于衡量运动强度：静息状态为1 MET，步行约为3 METs，足球运动达10 METs，而超过6 METs即被界定为“高强度”运动。旧金山州立大学的研究证实，沉浸式拳击游戏《The Thrill of the Fight》的消耗强度达到9.3 METs；《JMIR Serious Games》发表的研究亦显示，《Supernatural》中的拳击与心流模式强度约达8 METs。《Games for Health Journal》2024年的一项对比实验进一步指出，进行10分钟VR拳击的有氧强度及心率提升幅度与跑步机健步走相当。
在减脂与能量消耗方面，虚拟运动与传统体育展现出了同等的效果。发表于《自然·医学》（Nature Medicine）的一项严谨临床研究对227名青少年进行了分组测试，涵盖实体乒乓球、实体足球、虚拟乒乓球、虚拟足球及空白对照组。干预8周后，无论是参与真实运动还是虚拟运动的受试者，平均体重均减轻了约5公斤，且两类组别之间不存在统计学显著差异，而对照组体重则毫无变化。然而，VR游戏的运动负荷在不同产品间差异巨大，例如风靡全球的《Beat Saber》运动强度仅为2至3 METs，仅属于轻度活动水平。
传统VR锻炼的最大局限在于缺乏真实世界的物理阻力，无法有效进行抗阻力量训练。为突破这一短板，加州大学洛杉矶分校（UCLA）的研究人员将滑轮拉力抗阻器械与VR塔防游戏相结合，通过硬拉、下拉等力量动作触发游戏攻击。为期4周的实验表明，VR增强抗阻组在肌肉力量、耐力以及腿部峰值爆发力方面的提升均优于常规训练组，且受试者主观感知劳累程度（RPE）显著低于实际做功强度。尽管VR运动能显著降低对疲劳的感知并提升趣味性，但其在长期依从性与大规模临床实证方面仍有待进一步深入评估。
Combining gamification with virtual reality (VR) headsets and motion-tracking controllers can provide legitimate, quantifiable cardiovascular exercise. In physiological assessments, physical activity is quantified using the metabolic equivalent of task (MET), where resting expenditure equals one MET, walking requires three METs, football reaches ten METs, and metrics exceeding six METs denote "vigorous" exercise. Empirical trials conducted at San Francisco State University established that the virtual boxing game "The Thrill of the Fight" achieves a vigorous 9.3 METs, while studies published in JMIR Serious Games revealed that the boxing modes of "Supernatural" register around eight METs. Furthermore, a 2024 study in the Games for Health Journal showed that a ten-minute bout of VR boxing produced aerobic oxygen consumption and elevated heart rates equivalent to treadmill walking.
Regarding metabolic outcomes and weight loss, virtual exercise demonstrates parity with conventional athletics. A clinical trial published in Nature Medicine examined 227 adolescents categorized into real table tennis, real football, virtual table tennis, virtual football, and sedentary control cohorts. Over an eight-week intervention, participants engaging in both real and virtual sports shed an average of approximately 5kg with no statistically significant variance between the modalities, whereas the control group experienced zero weight reduction. However, exercise intensity varies substantially across gaming software: while combat titles deliver vigorous exertion, popular rhythm titles like "Beat Saber" generate merely 2 to 3 METs, qualifying strictly as light physical activity.
Because virtual environments lack mass and physical resistance, standalone VR remains ineffective for conventional strength conditioning. Addressing this mechanical limitation, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, integrated a cable-resistance training apparatus with a VR tower-defense game, linking deadlifts and lat pull-downs to digital gameplay actions. Over a four-week trial, the VR-augmented cohort demonstrated superior enhancements in muscular strength, endurance, and peak leg power compared to the control group, while systematically underestimating their own rate of perceived exertion. Although VR fitness masks physiological fatigue and enhances user enjoyment, broader longitudinal data are still required to confirm sustained adherence.
Source: How to combine exercise with video games
Subtitle: Warmed up and ready, player one
Dateline: Sep 3rd 2026