Not long ago, playing video games provided good exercise for kids’ thumbs -- and not much else. Now, a new generation of more active video games, like Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and Wii Sports, is changing that. Whether it’s using the latest in virtual-reality technology to mimic fast-paced dance sequences or simulate sports moves like swinging a racket or throwing a punch, these games have caught the attention of adults, who may not have been interested in running around a fantasy video-game world -- or may have done so only to humor their kids. The big question on everyone’s mind: Can these new active video games help you, your spouse and your kids get (or stay) fit?        

The answer is maybe, and it depends on how you use them. A study at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found that kids burn more than twice as many calories playing activity-promoting video games -- such as DDR and EyeToy -- than just sitting and watching TV. With DDR, you control the game by stepping on an electronic dance pad, while EyeToy uses a special camera to capture an image of the player in motion and literally inserts her into the onscreen Playstation action.

In a recent study at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 24 volunteers (ages 12 to 25) played DDR at various intensities, then researchers examined their heart rate, VO2 max (a measure of maximum aerobic capacity) and caloric expenditure. It turns out that playing DDR in “difficult mode” produced results comparable to taking a high-impact aerobics class: Heart rates jumped to 76 percent of maximum and participants burned calories at a rate of 480 per hour, reports study leader John Porcari, Ph.D., professor of exercise and sport science at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Playing DDR in “standard mode” was the calorie-burning equivalent of riding a bike 12 miles per hour.

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