Testing Nintendo's Wii Fit
I know the Wii Fit has been a hot topic of conversation in the WEGO Health Community (and many others, I'm sure), so I wanted to post this article I saw on the New York Times today:
"O.K., Avatar, Work With Me"
Sounds like the Wii Fit will be great for those of us who, maybe aren't getting to the gym everyday...
I don't actually own a Wii (I'm not even sure if I could hook one up to my television!) but from the few times I've played with one, it is a lot of fun.
As with anything else, it looks like you'll get out what you put into it. But I think this could be a very important development in the whole concept of home fitness. Obviously, an individual needs to be motivated on their own to stick with any kind of exercise plan, but I think that a lot more could be done to help people see exercise as fun. It seems that most healthy, fit kids today are that way because they play games. Maybe we need to get back to that a bit in our "adult" exercise routines.
Now, I'll be the first to say that I'm not out there playing soccer on the weekends, but maybe the game and competition aspect of the new Wii Fit will help bring fun back to the foreground.
"O.K., Avatar, Work With Me"
Sounds like the Wii Fit will be great for those of us who, maybe aren't getting to the gym everyday...
I don't actually own a Wii (I'm not even sure if I could hook one up to my television!) but from the few times I've played with one, it is a lot of fun.
As with anything else, it looks like you'll get out what you put into it. But I think this could be a very important development in the whole concept of home fitness. Obviously, an individual needs to be motivated on their own to stick with any kind of exercise plan, but I think that a lot more could be done to help people see exercise as fun. It seems that most healthy, fit kids today are that way because they play games. Maybe we need to get back to that a bit in our "adult" exercise routines.
Now, I'll be the first to say that I'm not out there playing soccer on the weekends, but maybe the game and competition aspect of the new Wii Fit will help bring fun back to the foreground.
Tags: exercise, fitness, nintendo wii
5 Comments
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Comment by Paula on May 16, 2008 at 4:08pm - I'm glad you posted about this Marie. I am an avid gamer. Yes I don't necessarily fit the profile (36 married mother of 2), yet I love to play games. I have had a Wii (and other gaming systems) since the day they went on sale. I have enjoyed Wii Sports very much, and agree that you get out of it what you put into it. The more you exaggerate the motions the more of a workout you get. I decided to try boxing against my husband. It started out playful but quickly got competitive and I was throwing and flailing my arms trying to win. I was out of breath and my arms felt like bricks the next day. I figured it was just me (as I'm out of shape) but found out over the weekend that my very active aunt also had sore arms the next day, and she works out at the gym every day. Kids are going to play games.. why wouldn't they want to. So why not get them something that gets them off the couch and moving. I was excited when I saw the presentation for Wii fit by Nintendo at G4 (gaming expo--yes I'm a gaming nerd). I'm looking forward to getting one and hopefully I can get a little activity while doing something I thoroughly enjoy (playing games).
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Comment by Caroline on May 27, 2008 at 7:19am - I have been considering one of these as well. I would like something to have in our house where we can get exercise. The weights in the basement sit there collecting dust. I think that for now we will stick with the great outdoors and consider one in the fall so we have it for next winter.
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Comment by Paula on May 27, 2008 at 1:16pm
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Caroline -- that sounds like a plan :)
I read a recent article about Wii Fit and thought I would share it. The parents of a 10-year old girl are very upset since their recent purchase of Wii Fit. One of the things Wii Fit does is weigh you and is pretty brutal about where you are on the "correct weight curve". The "game" told a 10-year old girl that she was fat after her initial weigh in. I can't find the article I read but here is a NPR article about it. The parents are worried that this could lead to body image issues or worse an eating disorder in their young impressionable daughter.
Nintendo has said the episode was unfortunate and that the game really isn't geared towards children. BMI is used to track weight in the game and experts say that BMI is not an appropriate tool for measuring weight in children.
The parents want Nintendo to display a warning on the package, which Nintendo has said it will not do. They have however cautioned parents about buying the game for children.
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Comment by Marie on May 27, 2008 at 3:16pm -
Interesting that Nintendo say the game isn't geared towards children, since I saw a few commercials for the Wii Fit this weekend and the ad definitely shows kids using the board and playing the games. I know there is one girl at the end doing yoga while her mom stands behind her, because I remember seeing it and thinking, "that's weird".
I tried to find some video for you all of the commercial, but it doesn't seem to be online yet.
Caroline, great point! One plus side of the Wii Fit is that it costs less than a treadmill. One the other hand, both of those things do cost more than going outside...
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Comment by Paula on May 27, 2008 at 4:00pm
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I guess I should rephrase my statement. It isn't that the game isn't geared towards children.. but that the weight estimates might not be correct in children due to "varying levels of development" in young children.
A spokesperson from the National Obesity Forum has said this measurement is not a reliable measurement for children and therefore recommends that parents not buy this game for children.
To read Nintendo's statement and the reasons why this might not be a good product for a younger child, click on this Computer and Video Games news article.
I personally would be horrified by a product telling my child they are fat. You would think they would have something that could turn this feature off if the user was a young child. I can see how some of the games might be fun for a kid, yet at the same time I don't want them being told every time they log in that they are fat.
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