Exercise That's All Fun and Games

Mickey DeLorenzo's avatar, or "Mii," boxes in a sports game for Nintendo's Wii. (Courtesy Of Mickey Delorenzo - Courtesy Of Mickey Delorenzo)

A scientist at the Mayo Clinic recently conducted a study about the calorie-burning effects of "activity-based" video games and found some encouraging results for game fans.

Obesity researcher Lorraine Lanningham-Foster said that she couldn't comment on DeLorenzo's personal experiment but that she had found that kids playing the popular game Dance Dance Revolution, in which players jump around on a dance mat and hit buttons in time with music, can burn as many calories as if they were strenuously exercising.

So popular is the dance game among kids that some schools have worked it into their physical education programs. At Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring, "DDR" is a regular part of the exercise offerings for students.

"It gives them a really, really good workout," said Linda Barrett, head of the school's PE department.

Generally speaking, Barrett would prefer sports that teach teamwork and sportsmanlike conduct. But, for this age range, she's happy enough just to have students moving their bodies. "My perspective is: Whatever they do, if it's physically active, it's a plus," she said. "If they're up off the couch and they're moving and physically active, that's what we want."

Barrett was so excited about the game when she first saw it that she ran out and picked up her own copy the same day. She now mixes it into her own workout schedule on days when she doesn't feel like hitting the treadmill.

In Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova, the latest version in the series, the calorie-burning aspect has been built into the game, offering players a "workout" mode that lets them set goals on how many calories they want to burn. Personally, I think playing 20 minutes of DDR gives you more exercise than the Wii sports games would, but DDR also requires a tolerance for Kelly Clarkson and other pop music that I don't quite possess.

For everyone out there rolling eyes at the prospect of people sweating away in front of their TV sets, here's a thought. Some tiny portion of this living room activity will inevitably lead to some "real" exercise -- just as the hit game Guitar Hero has prompted some kids to ask for real guitar lessons.

No, seriously. Each time my fiancee and I pick up the Wii's controller for a few rounds of virtual tennis, she says the same thing: "We should go out and play tennis for real. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Hasn't happened yet -- but when spring comes around, who knows?