One might logically assume video games are closer to the cause of childhood obesity than the answer. But England’s Department of Health is talking up the potential benefits of “Virtual PE” after five schools experimented with Nintendo’s Wii game consoles. In what will surprise only those who have never met a 10-year-old, the schools found children actually lined up for a chance to use the Wii, which requires players to stand up and move their arms and legs to play games including tennis, baseball, bowling and golf. Not everyone is buying it, however. The chairman of the oh-so-British-sounding Campaign for Real Education blasted the idea. He told UK Channel 4: “It looks like another gimmick. It’s pandering to the views of the physically idle.”
“Oui,” say students at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They looked at how using the Wii compares to more traditional forms of exercise. The Wii did get players up and moving, but it didn’t pass muster as a cardiovascular workout.
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