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Once upon a time kids ran around outside and played stickball in the streets, but now that that only exists in Normal Rockwell paintings, the slack is being taken up by the Nintendo Wii and, if Denver-based iTech Fitness has its way, its XRCADE fitness centers for children.

XRCADEs have some of the features of gyms, like climbing walls and recumbent bicycles, some of the features of arcades, like DDR machines and snowboard simulators, and some of the features of children's play centers, like padded obstacle courses. With six XRCADEs in operation nationwide and more to come, iTech Fitness CEO Mike Hansen believes they've got the perfect balance of videogames and physical activity to keep kids engaged, unlike a conventional gym.

"These kids grew up in such a technology-driven environment," [Hansen] says. "With video games, they have control and they have a challenge. Put them on a treadmill and they don't see any gratification. Give them a game and they get instant gratification."

"Most of the kids who don't enjoy sports lead more sedentary lifestyles," [Lisa Witherspoon Hansen, co-research director of the USF-XRKade exergaming research lab] says, "but (playing activity-driven video games) becomes something they can do just as well as the athletic kids. We'd like them to enjoy being active, not dread it, or they won't continue doing it."

Article on the gym here.