Wii Will Rock Your Health

The romantic life of a video gamer typically recalls Cheeto crumbs passionately embracing Mom’s couch—the Nintendo Wii, however, has been flirting with a few different alternatives. Since its release in late 2006, the console has been enticing an audience of all demographics. And with titles like Wii Sports and the recently launched Wii Fit, this motion sensor console has encouraged players to throw out the Cheetos and push Mom’s couch aside. In fact, Mom might even come along to play, too.

“Now everyone can benefit from good exercise at the same time without even realizing it,” says Isaac Wooten, who designed both the original Wii and Wii Sports web sites, among others. In addition to introducing exercise to promote a healthier lifestyle, the Wii has been used to maintain activity in the elderly, cancer patients, injured soldiers and even stroke victims.

Wii Health Benefits

Indeed, the Wii has been successfully targeting people of all ages—it seems that those silly, childish games aren’t just for kids anymore. Several nursing homes had reported purchasing the Wii to entertain their tenants. Therapists at the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital use Wii Sports on some patients in place of the conventional physiotherapy. Injured US Army soldiers stationed in Landstuhl, Germany have also used the Wii to assist them in regaining their strength.

Mary Jane Zamora of Redondo Beach, California, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. A round of chemotherapy had made Zamora too tired for intense physical exertion; her daughters had then purchased a Wii to encourage her to maintain some forms of activity. Honing her skills with Wii Sports, she eventually joined a local bowling league and was named Most Improved Player.

Getting Fit with Wii

“The Wii reaches out to anyone and everyone no matter how old they are or what ailments they might have,” says Wooten. Most notably, the Wii encourages all video game players—young and old, seasoned or inexperienced, male or female—to break a sweat.

“Seriously dude, I’ve lost five pounds,” says Daniel Abizeid, Co-Founder of a Nintendo-based gaming club at the University of California, Berkeley. “And it’s so much more fun and interactive than going to the gym and running in the same damn spot for half-an-hour.” Like many other players, Abizeid had purchased the Wii Fit with intentions of leading a healthier lifestyle. He ended up playing more for the challenge of the game itself as opposed to the challenge of losing the weight.