That’s what a recent study by the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) says.

The group surveyed a group of fitness trainers and academics about the impact of “exergaming” and “exertainment” facilitated by motion-sensing controllers like the Wiimote and found that these active games may help get  kids (and adults) up off the couch and provide an means of encouraging a less sedentary lifestyle.

Money quote from  Dr. Josh Trout, Professor of Kinesiology at California State University Chico, who specializes in video game technology and exercise movement: “Exergaming can provide excellent health benefits, but so can a Stairmaster, lifecycle or treadmill, if you do it. If a person has chosen a sedentary lifestyle, there is not much a new technology is going to do for them. On that note, exergaming, and exertainment, is an excellent way for getting kids hooked on physical activity, producing good exercise habits that can last their lifetime.”

Read the whole thing here.