New video game targets childhood obesity

updated 10:42 a.m. ET Feb. 21, 2007

ORLANDO, Fla. - Obesity may be a growing epidemic, but it's Obeez City that is spreading out of control in a new DVD game.

The game, "Body Mechanics," teaches youngsters how to avoid the ravages of being overweight.

Gamers join a team of superheroes called Body Mechanics and war against the Evil Coalition of Harm and Disease, battling villains with names like Col Estorol and Betes II.

The fighting takes place inside the body of Jack Decayd. If Obeez City is not contained, "Jack will die soon," says Neuro, the Yoda-like wise one who narrates the action.

"I remember how it started. A few snacks here, a soft drink there," Neuro says in an ominous tone during the opening. "And before we knew it, the Evil Coalition of Harm and Disease was threatening us all."

Neuro then makes his plea: "You must join the team of heroic Body Mechanics. They need your help in order to gain the knowledge necessary to save Jack's life. Only you can change how this story ends."

The game's real-life target: The fact that about 16 percent of U.S. children ages 6 to 19 are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is an 80 percent chance that overweight children will become obese adults and be at risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.

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