Video game or exercise? College students’ perceptions and adherence to exergames

This study examined the extent to which college students' perceptions of exergames as video games or exercise tools are associated with their gratifications and intention to continue playing. Guided by the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) framework, a cross-sectional survey was conducted with 154 college students. Multiple regression and mediation analyses revealed that perceptions of exergames as video games and exercise tools were both significantly associated with intention to continue playing, with perceptions as exercise tools exerting the stronger influence. Moreover, hedonic gratification partially mediated the relationship between video game perceptions and intention, whereas utilitarian gratification fully mediated the relationship between exercise-tool perceptions and intention. These findings suggest that continued engagement with exergames among college students is associated with enjoyment-related and utility-related gratifications, yet differentially, depending on how exergames are perceived. Despite the limited causal inferences due to the cross-sectional design, the study findings underscore the importance of designing exergames as not only an entertaining device but also a functional tool when promoting physical activity among young adults.