It is also possible that the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus, an updated version of the Wii Fit game, will be allowed to use the Change4Life logo on the product itself from next year. This new version offers players an on-screen exercise guide for activities from yoga to hula-hooping and also allows them to tailor their exercise programmes to respond to their specific needs.

A spokesman for the Department for Health has reportedly said that it was not endorsing a video game, but rather an exercise regime. "Active video games, where kids need to jump up and down or dance about as part of the game, are a great way to get kids moving," he said.

Active gaming can have many applications; for example, Nintendo?s Wii console has already been used to help recuperating patients to exercise by Seacroft Hospital, Leeds.