An international health conference held in Montreal this week is featuring videogames that are said to promote physical well-being for overweight children.  

Laurette Dube, organizer of the 2008 McGill Health Challenge Think Tank, has told attendees at the conference that “exergames” are an ideal way to encourage the amount of time children spend being active.

She was joined by Linda Carson, professor of physical education West Virginia University, who thoroughly supported the exergames initiative. "I think exergaming needs to be recognised as an exciting alternative to traditional physical education," she said. "There’s a lot of value to children having physical activity options in their home and even at school."

Carson has just completed a study which claims that overweight children who play exergames are less likely to continue to gain weight and could improve their aerobic ability. This conclusion was reached by separating two groups of obese children and subjecting only one to Wii Sports play sessions across twelve weeks, while the other group was left as a control.

Though it’s not exactly shocking that controlled sessions of physical activity can prevent weight gain and improve general health, what was promising was that some children, claims Carson, expressed an interest in trying outdoor sports after playing the game-counterparts.