A study appearing in the April 4, 2006, Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine suggests that because video games can elevate the heart rates of children who play them, the activity should not be regarded as "sedentary," as is, for example, watching television or resting. The study was started in 1999 -- it's not clear when the study was concluded, but at the time it was to take just a few weeks. In the reporting that has appeared so far on the research -- and picked up by gamer blogs -- researchers caution that video games are not an adequate substitution for excercise. However, the press coverage conveys the kind of dangerous misconceptions that newspapers and TV news tend to do about health research. A piece in the Sydney Morning Herald begins their coverage with the following sensational but misleading paragraph:

Burried deep in the story is the less attention-grabbing warning from researcher Arlette Perry: "gaming could not be a substitute for traditional exercise." The article fails to mention the many other health risks associated with video game play, such as damage to vision from staring intently at a screen for long periods; repetitive stress injuries from remaining in the same position and overworking the fingers; and many others.