I was shocked when I saw him. It had only been a few months since our last in-person meeting, but this time, he was a shadow of his former self. Wardrobe updated, energy to spare, and a solid 40-50 pounds went missing.
His secret? The Nintendo Wii.
I was floored.
"Wii Fit is simple to use, and simply the most fun way to keep you, your family and friends fit."
Since the Wii’s release I’ve heard and read stories about countless people dropping pounds and improving health by introducing a moderate amount of activity in the form of video games. With the inception of Wii Fit and EA Sports Active, video game workouts are becoming more formal…not to mention hugely popular.
I had always remained skeptic, thinking it more of a fad than anything else.
Seeing and meeting someone I know go through the motions and actually yield results is shifting my perspective a bit.
I suppose that it only makes sense that incrementally more activity could work over the long term. Replacing even a part of traditionally “couch potato” time spent gaming on other consoles can’t be a bad thing in terms of fitness.
It can’t be anywhere near as valuable as a significant shift in diet, routine, and more formal exercise regimes…but I suppose if you’re not willing to go the more tradional route, or have failed repeatedly that way, why not substitute “bad” gaming for some “good” gaming?
So I’m on a Wii kick. The first step is justifying the expense of the console and related accessories…and that’s becoming a challenge.
One of the biggest things holding me back right now from jumping on the WiiFit bandwagon is the aforementioned notion of “good” and “bad” games…but from more standard, non-fitnes-oriented terms.
From all I’ve seen there’s a bit of a shortage of solid Wii titles for a few key demographics I happen to be a part of. Namely I’m not really in the “under 12″ or “Nintendo FanBoy” groups. And while the console has been out for a couple years, the volume of titles isn’t where I’d hope it to be. It makes sense in that developpers need to custom code everything for the Wii and its unique controls…but it certainly limits available options…which may impact the longevity of the system itself — that is once the novelty wears off. This makes justifying the Wii a bit trickier for me - especially at a time when everyone needs to mind their dollars and cents with a bit more caution.
But on the flipside, there are a wealth of simple, child-oriented titles, with a focus on more activity than the standard couch-surfing fare, so it can’t be a bad platform to introduce to the kids to get accustomed to. (Again, ideally we could replace gaming outright - but in the context of making a moderate shift without introducing anarchy in the household, this might make the most sense). And if it actually gets me focused - even in part - on getting myself more fit (I won’t say altogether fit, but more than at present), it can’t be all that bad.