Could the Nintendo Wii Slim Down a Nation?

Posted June 18, 2008 at 03:40 pm

A lot of people have the best intentions when it comes to a regular exercise regime, but sticking to it is another matter. With America's obesity epidemic, it's more important that ever to think outside of the box and find what works for you when it comes to exercise. Could America find this in the form of a video game console?

When the Nintendo Wii came out at the end of 2006, I thought it was a lot of hype. I quickly got bored of Wii Sports and was pretty sure that the people saying the Wii was a new kind of "active" video gaming experience weren't exactly hard-core athletes. Given this perception and just the difficulty of finding one, I hadn't really considered getting a Wii...until now.

Fast forward to last month when Wii Fit was released in North America. With the introduction of an interactive fitness experience and the Wii Balance Board, the Wii has turned into a virtual personal trainer. With a variety of activities like yoga, strength training, aerobics, and balancing exercises, there's tons of things to keep even the most anti-exercise person entertained.

Wii Fit is just the beginning of using the Wii for fitness. Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser is putting her name on a boot-camp style game, Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009, due out for Christmas. Likely to be more challening than Fit, this game may open up even serious athletes to the idea of using the Wii to keep in shape. Also, Electronic Arts announced that they are developing a more Western-style fitness game as opposed to the Fit's Eastern approach.

But does any of this really have the potential to slim down a nation? America as a whole doesn't lack resources. Most people could join a gym if they were motivated, could do fitness videos at a lower cost, or could just go outside for a walk. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't. Will the Wii be any different? Will the fitness games just sit in the corner collecting dust?

It's all in the gaming experience. Game developers have proven that they can make games so interesting and entertaining that people get addicted to them. If the same thought could be used in the development of fitness games, maybe people will have success with them...that is if they can ever get their hands on a Wii.

[Wired]

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