Bloomberg.com
By Vivek Shankar
Sept. 26
Martin Ly steps out of a San Francisco arcade and sits down to catch his breath. He's just played two rounds of the video game Dance Dance Revolution, which requires players to speed-dance to on-screen instructions.
``It's a workout,'' says Ly, 18.
``Exergaming,'' or playing video games that involve exercise, is booming in the U.S., not just in arcades but in schools, gyms and homes. The trend is getting a boost from the success of Nintendo Co.'s Wii, whose motion-activated controller lets a player simulate everything from realistic swordplay to golf swings.
A growing number of U.S. school systems see exergaming as a way to help children get a workout. U.S. childhood obesity rates have more than doubled over the past 20 years, and schools are pushing back with games that involve dancing, fighting and racing.