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There was a time when the suggestion of making a videogame that would force gamers to exercise would be met with incredulous scoffs. Clearly, those who scoffed then are probably kicking themselves right now. A new report out of the Games for Health Project (via GamesIndustry.biz) shows that health-focused videogames like Wii Fit, EA Sports Active, and Dance Dance Revolution have over an 18 month period generated an astounding $2 billion in worldwide sales.

"Healthcare is 18 percent of the GDP of the United States and so games for health is probably the largest sector of activity in the serious games field long-term," concluded Ben Sawyer, co-founder of the Games for Health Project. And according to Dr. Debra Leiberman, a director of health gaming research, schools ought to jump in on the sudden influx and success of health-focused videogames. "States' governors should direct their school technology officers to look at innovations like Dance Dance Revolution and Wii Fit as a way to extend the reach of physical education and comprehensive health education," Leiberman said.

No doubt much of the success of this growing "health" genre of videogames is attributable to Wii Fit and EA Sports Active in particular. As of March of this year, Wii Fit has sold 18.22 million units worldwide, and EA Sports Active has been equally impressive in the short time since its release, with EA saying it sold 600,000 units in its first two weeks alone. With Wii Fit Plus and Ubisoft's Your Shape both coming later this year, it looks like this genre is only going to get bigger and bigger.