Video Game Tax to Fight Obesity

A New Mexico legislator has proposed a new tax on video games and televisions to try to fund a fight against childhood obesity. The bill, called “Leave No Child Inside,” would levy a 1 percent tax on some home-recreation devices and use the money to fund outdoor programs for children. It is estimated that twenty five percent of New Mexico’s children are overweight or obese.

Doctors Using Nintendo Wii Games for Physical Therapy

The Nintendo Wii is widely becoming a form of physical therapy. Stretching and lifting exercises that help sick and injured people can get painful, repetitive, and boring. Nintendo Wii games require body movements that are similar to traditional therapy exercises. Most patients are so into the games that they don’t realize that they are doing physical work.

The most popular Wii games in physical therapy are the sports games, such as baseball, bowling, boxing, golf, and tennis. Users that play the games would use a wireless controller that would direct the movements of the animated athletes and characters on the screen.

Study Says Video Games Cause Lower Grades

A recent study has show that video-game systems in dorms cause students to study less and have lower grade-point averages. A study done at the University of Western Ontario found that video-game systems in the dorms led to 40 minutes less time of studying and GPAs 0.241 points lower than average. The students participating in the study tracked their studying, sleeping, partying, working, gaming, and other activities. In the end they found that more studying equals higher grades.