We have thought about whether the Nintendo Wii or one of the games, Wii Sports, should be added as an activity on introPLAY. We own a Wii and Wii Sports is definitely a fun game that makes video games more physically active than they have ever been. There is no doubt about it. But the question is: does the Wii work your body out enough to be considered a bona fide workout and should it count on introPLAY?
Our initial answer to that question is not yet. A preliminary UK study concludes that while the Wii uses more energy than a traditional game, it is nowhere near the effort level of ‘live sports.’ In other words, it is better to play the Wii than another game system, but you cannot use the Wii to replace the running, jumping, throwing and playing of traditional exercise and sports… yet.
We acknowledge that there are people who have stories about their weight loss from video games. Mickey DeLorenzo detailed his story of losing 9 pounds during a 6 week Wii Sports workout regimen. And the press has been consistently reported how the Wii gets kids off the couch and can even make you sore.
Our thoughts also do not relate to other games that are more physically active such as Dance Dance Revolution (categorized as dancing in introPLAY) or Nintendo’s upcoming Wii Fit. Who knows? Maybe Wii Fit will be an activity on introPLAY?
