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Video Games Get Physical
Using Entertainment Technology to Get Fit
By Teri Brown
For quite some time now, video games have taken the heat for leading kids into a life of passive, sedentary entertainment and helping to cause the obesity problem our nation faces. Perhaps they should take some of the heat, but a new generation of videogame amusements is getting kids up out of the chair – literally!
Linda Dupie of Fredericksburg, Va., says that DDR (Dance, Dance Revolution – for those not in the know) is a huge hit at her house. "My daughters, who are 14 and 10, aren't serious gamers, but they are serious about their Dance, Dance Revolution game..." she says. "They love challenging each other, and I love that the game requires them to move. While my kids are active in sports, I love the trend toward more physical movement in video games. I'm for anything that keeps my kids moving."
Beth Llewelyn is the senior director of PR with Nintendo of America. Her company was completely surprised that people were using the Wii for physical activity. "We knew people would really get into playing, because the Wii remote mimics the motions of a wide variety of sports and other actions, but we were definitely surprised when we learned that people were using it as a workout or for weight loss," she says.