The Serious Fun of Exergaming | Dr. Amanda Staiano | TEDxLSU

With childhood obesity on the rise, developmental psychologist Amanda Staiano insists on having some serious fun. In this entertaining and kid-friendly talk, Staiano describes the role of community in active video game play and how it influences children’s virtual workouts. You might be surprised to find that a little friendly exergame competition can result in the same exercise outcomes as outdoor activities. For Dr. Amanda Exner Staiano work is all fun and games. As a developmental psychologist at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Amanda’s idea of fun includes researching childhood obesity, early detection of obesity and the chronic diseases that often occur with them. Through “exergaming,” she explores how combining exercise and technology can combat the rising problem of childhood obesity. For Amanda, the answer to reducing Louisiana's 33 percent childhood obesity rate is to meet the kids on their own playing field — the virtual one.