**4. Discussion**

This study aimed to identify, through a systematic review, the ways of using exergames in the motor education processes of school-aged children and to diagnose the epistemic state of this use in the context of Sport Sciences. Technically, exergames gather the main dimensions of virtual realities: interaction, involvement, and immersion. The interaction is related to the environment's ability to respond to user actions interactively through devices. Some devices can naturally capture users' movements. The involvement is the ability to maintain the user's attention, seeking to explore their different senses, keeping the user attracted and motivated to remain in the environment. Immersion refers to the ability to make the user feel present in the simulated environment, seeking to distance them from the real environment [18].

A dominant feature of the investigations raised on exergames in our study concerns the fact that most of them focused on samples of neurotypical infants. Neurotypical individuals are those who do not fit the autism spectrum, exhibiting linguistic, sensorimotor, affective, and cognitive aspects consistent with those expected for their chronological age [41]. Eleven of the included studies [20, 25, 28–30, 33–35, 38–40] exemplify this trend. Conversely, four included studies [26, 31, 36, 37] analyzed the motor behaviors of children with developmental coordination disorder. The other two studies included, as target subjects, groups of neurotypical and autistic individuals [27] and young people in different stages of motor performance [32].

In summary, it is noted that the dominant neurological characteristic of the investigated subjects refers to neurotypical people, that is, situated within frames considered normal. Contrariwise, neurodivergent or neuroatypical analyzes are in the minority. Moreover, all authors focused on sample groups of infants of both sexes, except EbrahimiSani et al. [26], who prioritized only girls. It is concluded then, in this regard, that the investigations do not privilege the masculine gender over the feminine and vice versa. Still with respect to the sample groups, it is reiterated that the samples were heterogeneous in terms of the number of individuals analyzed, chronological ages, and levels of biological maturation.

Another demographic item to be highlighted is the fact that the investigations are distributed by teams of researchers located in different countries. This means that the theme of the effects of exergames on the acquisition and development of motor skills of schoolchildren has a global connotation.

In terms of the methodological characteristics of the investigations, despite the different training volumes and motor stimuli applied, in almost all studies some type of significant result was obtained from the intervention groups when compared to the control groups. At first, this means that exergames may have positive effects on the gross motor skills and physical fitness levels of children with different levels of training. Only one study [33] showed no change in any variable. However, such gains should be viewed with caution, as it is not possible to confirm whether they will continue, and in what proportion, as the infant's biological maturation progresses and the training status changes.

This diagnosis is reinforced when it is observed that, among the 17 selected studies, only two [31, 34] were considered to be of high theoretical and methodological quality. Hence, they correspond to those of greater scientific credibility. In compensation, 15 investigations received a rating of three or less on the Jadad scale [22], which denotes compromises in their quality in terms of scientificity. Thus, they are research with coherence, consistency, objectivity, and control of subjectivity subject to criticism. As a result, the verisimilitude of the conclusions they announce must be interpreted with caution [42].

#### *The Use of Exergames in Motor Education Processes for School-Aged Children: A Systematic… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96074*

To paraphrase Miller [43], situations of this nature are relatively usual when a given object of study is still recent, in the sense that the scientific community to address it is still in the early stages of theoretical problematization. Consequently, the demarcations of the object have little depth, as well as the investigative horizons considered more pertinent in the medium and long terms.

Regarding the epistemological profile of the studies surveyed, it can be seen that, in full, all consisted of empirical-experimental intervention studies. Research with this bias has, as a guiding axis, the exposure of individuals to certain stimuli to verify their random impacts on one or more pre-established variables. In this type of conception, the researcher pre-understands that certain factors are hypothetically capable of engendering transformations in structural elements of the object. In the case of the present study, it is reasonable to conclude that researchers in exergames assume that such a class of games is capable of influencing the biopsychic construction of the motor skills of school-aged individuals. Hence the need for them to seek reliable evidence on such a process [24, 42].

The conceptual basis adopted to support the selected investigations refers almost exclusively to the Theories of Human Movement with an emphasis on Sport Psychology of a behavioral nature. However, it was possible to identify, in some of them, the existence of interfaces with the areas of Sport Pedagogy, Sport and Performance, and Sport and Health. Mediating this junction are the theories of Sports Training and Didactics. As a complement, we reiterate that no study mentioned Game Theories, which are among the classic bodies of knowledge of Physical Education and Sport Sciences.

The previous observation shows two contexts that are interconnected. The first goes back to the detection that, despite behavioral Sport Psychology being the Sports Science sub-area to endorse most of the inventoried works, it is possible to perceive the search for an incipient interdisciplinary dialog with the other mentioned theoretical fields. On the other hand, and this is the second consideration, Sports Training, and Didactics, under the aegis of Sport Pedagogy, Sport and Health, and Sport and Performance, constitute disciplines that go back to the structuring nucleus originating from Physical Education and Sports Science [24]. Therefore, it can be seen that, given the emergence of the relationship between exergames and the development of motor skills in childhood, given that it is a relatively recent object of study, a return to the knowledge bases that support the epistemic tradition of Physical Education and Sport Sciences is outlined. In terms of Theory of Knowledge, attitudes like these are consistent with the notion called Fundationalism, which alludes to the search for theoretical support for new ideas in knowledge that history has endorsed and endorse as legitimate in the flow of time [44].

The present study has some limitations. The first concerns the selection of articles from four electronic databases. Although the investigated databases catalog a vast number of scientific journals worldwide, some articles published in other journals that address this issue may not have been found. Studies from a larger number of search engines could enrich the analysis and discussions.

## **5. Conclusions**

The present study allows the announcement of some conclusions. Effectively, the use of exergames by school-aged children can promote an increase in motor skills both in locomotion and in object control. Their physical fitness levels are also capable of improving. However, the magnitude and duration of these increments remain inconclusive.

In epistemological terms, the state of knowledge of the productions related to the theme is in an embryonic state. Furthermore, the quality of the articles exhibits theoretical and methodological weaknesses that must be overcome. Investigations of an empirical-experimental nature focused on intervention studies are hegemonic. At the conceptual level, the theories of Sports Training, Didactics, and Human Movement have been chosen to provide the theoretical foundation, referring to the existence of an interdisciplinary intersection, in the field of Sport Sciences, between Sport Psychology, Sport Pedagogy, Sport and Performance, and Sport and Health.

Based on this diagnosis, it is urgent to affirm that, for example, research that opts for alternative methodological designs is still necessary, such as case reports, cross-sectional studies, longitudinal studies, and even conceptual essays. In the case of Sports Science sub-areas, it is necessary to approach the subject according to other perspectives. As an option, we suggest Biomechanics applied to Sport, Sports Medicine, Sport Sociology, and Sport Philosophy.
