Gaming your way to fitness?

A new exhibition at the Science Museum's Dana Centre in London hopes to answer the question, "Can video games really make you healthier?"

London's Science Museum is set to hold another video game-based exhibition this month, this time looking at the relationship between games and health. The event, dubbed "Play Away the Calories," will take place on March 26, and will also offer gamers and fitness fanatics an early look at Wii Fit, due to launch in Europe on April 25.

According to a statement from the Science Museum, "Visitors will have the opportunity to try out Wii Fit for themselves and watch as its effectiveness is put to the test in a series of live tests...exercising on a treadmill [versus] testing out Wii Fit and playing a more sedentary game, whilst measurements of their heart rate and oxygen consumption are taken to calculate how much energy is burnt."

On hand at the event will be experts from a range of fields including sports science, physiology, and gaming. Andy Jones, an epidemiologist from the University of East Anglia, will "examine how and why adult obesity has quadrupled in the last 25 years and will look at the role technology has played in creating a more sedentary life." Also presenting will be former Edge editor Margaret Robertson, who will discuss the history of "healthy gaming" and why it has failed to catch on in the past.

"Play Away the Calories" is free and open to the public aged 18 and over. It will take place from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. on March 26 at the Science Museum's Dana Centre in South Kensington. Tickets can be prebooked by phoning 020 7942 4040 or e-mailing tickets@danacentre.org.uk.