A new study finds that ‘exergames’, or video games that allow for exercise provide real calorie-burning power and energy expenditure, often higher than walking 3 miles on a treadmill.

Researchers, Bruce W. Bailey of at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and Kyle McInnis of the University of Massachusetts in Boston studied energy expenditures of 39 middle school boys and girls during 10 minutes of playing exergames, and then 5 minutes of rest. They found that gaming provided higher average energy expenditure measured in Metabolic Equivalent Task (MET) than walking three hours on treadmill. MET calculates the how much oxygen a body uses during an activity.

While walking had an MET of 4.9, games such as Dance Dance Revolution measured at 5.4; Cybex Trazer Goalie Wars at 5.9; LightSpace Bug Invasion at 6.4, Xavix J-Mat at 7.0 and Sportwall at 7.1, measured much higher, reports the LA Times. The children were also asked which games they enjoyed the most, and Sportwall was first, followed by Xavix. The study found that children who had a higher BMI and were at risk for being overweight enjoyed the games more than kids with lower BMI.

“They obviously enjoyed all the games a lot and it’s another tool for parents and practitioners to use to increase physical activity in children,” said Bailey according to US News. “As far as energy expenditure, if you choose the right levels and the right games, you can get some decent physical activity.”

Children are becoming more and more sedentary; and this study provides a way to get children to move more inside the home. “Although exergaming is most likely not the solution to the epidemic of reduced physical activity in children, it appears to be a potentially innovative strategy that can be used to reduce sedentary time, increase adherence to exercise programs, and promote enjoyment of physical activity,” the authors said in their report, according to Cnet.

Their research will be published in the July issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.