Video games supposedly are responsible for the sedentary lifestyle that Americans learn when they're young, right?

Well, a new game is working hard to burn off that notion.

Released Wednesday, May 21, Nintendo's Wii Fit is a far cry from the typical, lazy handheld game. It's got nothing to do with shooting, major sports or racing. And it proves that physical activity and gaming can coexist.

Gameplay is based on a rectangular, wireless Balance Board, roughly the size of a bathroom scale. The pressure-sensitive platform measures the weight and center of balance of whoever steps on it.
Normally, video games are associated with couch potatoes and blamed as one of the causes of our rising childhood obesity problem. But, the Wii changed things up with their innovative, action-packed technology.
Not only did they add a physical element to their system, but they made it extremely easy to learn and use, opening their market up to everyone from children to grandparents and everyone in between.

The thing that makes the Wii so different is the controller. Instead of simply pressing buttons and not needing to move anything other than your fingers, the new Nintendo controller allows you to move your entire body to affect what you see on the screen.

For example, in one of their most popular titles, Wii Sports, you need to swing your controller to hit a virtual tennis ball just as you would swing a real tennis racket on the courts. This allows users to get actual physical exercise right in their living room while playing a video game and having fun.