“For the Last Time, Kids, Put Away the Basketball and Get Back to the Wii!”

Before I took my driver’s test when I was 16, the only experience I had behind a car was virtual. Thanks to Gran Turismo, I had all the knowledge I needed to pass. Sound made up? Well, it is. But, such stories may soon not be so unfounded if this clash of the real and virtual world is any testament. While we may not always be much interested in senior citizen bowling competitions in Maryland, when there is a Wii console involved, things get interesting. Seeing that a 79-year bowler was beat in Wii Bowling by an 84 year old who had only recently taken up virtual bowling is just funny. Granted, the winner only knew how to bowl through the Wii, the real bowler having to adapt to the virtual form of the game. But still, pretty funny.

With stories like this, games such as We Ski, Wii Fit and other semi-physically strenuous games on the Wii, one could argue the Wii is breaking new ground. Parents may begin buying Wiis for their children and insisting they get much needed exercise from it. You never know. Personally, I think video games will always have a demonizing aura around them, regardless of health benefits. What do you think? Can video games one day be seen as a viable source of exercise, especially with the direction the Wii is going in? 

Posted by on 08/02 at 07:14 AM