Saturday, November 25, 2006

Wii Dangerous to Couch Potatoes, Fiancees, and Pets?

This is too funny:

In Rochester, Minn., Jeremy Scherer and his wife spent three hours playing tennis and bowling, two of the games included with the Wii. Mr. Scherer says he managed to improve his scores -- at the cost of shoulders and back that were still aching the next day. "I was using muscles I hadn't used in a while," says Mr. Scherer, a computer programmer who describes himself as "not very active." Mr. Scherer is vowing nightly "Wii workouts" to get in better shape.

Another hazard: collisions. All those flailing arms can sometimes inadvertently smack into lamps, furniture and even competing players. IGN.com, a popular site that reviews videogames, said one player testing the Wii lost her grip and sent the controller flying into a wall. Blaine Stuart of Rochester, N.Y., mistakenly whacked his fiancée, Shelly Haefele, while playing tennis and also accidentally hit his dog while bowling.
This quote is priceless. I love this spokesperson:
Perrin Kaplan, a spokeswoman from Nintendo, says the company hasn't received complaints from any gamers about soreness. "It was not meant to be a Jenny Craig supplement," she says. "If people are finding themselves sore, they may need to exercise more." She says that while it might be more fun to play the games more aerobically, it's possible to play without leaving the couch.
My God, I have to get the Wii. I love that a medium partly responsible for a generation of couch potatoes may facilitate better health. I am a member of the original Nintendo console generation. I logged many hours in front of the TV playing Zelda, Mario Brothers, and every other title I could get my hands on. It would have been great to get some exercise while fighting Ganon or Bowser.