Just recently gaming companies have started to look beyond producing video games as we commonly know them. Video game manufactures like Nintendo and Microsoft have looked beyond producing games that only work the fingers and into developing a new era of video entertainment that can actually promote exercise and health.

Video games are now being produced with fitness, well being and weight loss in mind. These games that are now on the market such as "Dance Dance Revolution" for the Nintendo Wii console are becoming quite popular among children and many adults who look to enjoy a workout from the comfort of their own home.

At the University of Toronto Canada a medical research team is in the process of developing a video game that is therapeutic in nature designed to help treat children suffering from hemiplegic cerebral palsy, a partially paralyzing condition that centers around one side of the body. By incorporating the active video game into the children's life and making them use the weaker side of their body to operate the game, patients motor function may improve over time.

The biggest benefit of these new "active video games" however leys in weight loss. Active video games can now be used as a tool to help fight child obesity which numbers continue to grow yearly. In a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic and illustrated in the pediatric issue of January 2007, researchers were amazed to find that children who played active video games were found to burn up to 3 times more calories than when playing traditional games. These studies were conducted before Nintendo's Wii came onto the market in the spring but researchers still believe that the Wii will promote the same effects as Sony's Eye Toy which was tested. Lead researcher in the report Lorraine Lanningham-Foster believes that if children are moving about, up, and walking around as apposed to sitting, then more calories are going to be burned.

As previously mentioned, Dance Dance Revolution is the most popular active video game in the nation right now being used to help battle obesity among all ages. In the United States 700 schools and close to 10 different states are now making Dance Dance Revolution an active part of physical education by incorporating it into the curriculum. Based on the current numbers it's estimated that close to 1'500 schools will be using "active games" by the beginning of the next decade.

By incorporating active video games into schools it makes it easier to get all kids involved in physical activity because a child doesn't need to be able to catch or throw a ball or be good at sports - schools can appeal to all children not just the physically oriented one's.

Just recently the state of Virginia with the co-operation of the Department of Education, Virginia University and the Public Employees Insurance Agency has committed to providing Dance Dance Revolution to all 765 of the states public schools.

Another study conducted by researches at the University of Rochester have determined that these active video games can also improve vision in the bottom line of a conventional eye chart.

Science and video games have come a long way over the years. Promoting a healthy lifestyle for children through active video games is a great way to get kids motivated and excited about exercise and fitness that they can carry with into their adulthood. It's fun, entertaining and parents too can indulge in the excitement and health rewards. So the next time your in the mood to try something new and get fit perhaps consider an active video game.