Students in West Virginia, which has one of the nation's worst obesity problems, are getting a whole new way to shed pounds. Every middle school in the state (all 157 of them) is getting the video game "Dance Dance Revolution."
You know this game? It's an interactive dancing game, where players move their feet on a special mat. The mat has arrows that correspond to dance steps scrolling up a video screen. (More on the game is here).
West Virginia officials started a pilot program at 20 schools last year. Now they're expanding it. They hope to have "Dance Dance Revolution" in each of the state's 753 public schools within three years.
Sounds fun, I guess. And private donors are footing the cost of the games, which cost about $740 each. So the state's off the hook financially. But aren't there some less expensive options (or even free ones) that would be just as effective?
Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach has written about a range of topics, including social policy issues and urban planning and design. Originally from Tennessee, he joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
E-mail: zpatton@governing.com 
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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