Consolation Prize

I thought I would follow up my previous post on Wii Fit [1], but this time present you, dear reader, with those annoyances, irritations, and small niggles that set in after the initial honeymoon period has ended and Wii Fit is used as a regular fitness aid rather than a humorous folly.

For the Sake of Health and Safety

Okay, I realise that Wii Fit was designed to appeal to a large demographic with varying levels of fitness, and I suppose intelligence; but is it really necessary to notify the user every session with the following messages:

• Feel free to support yourself on other people or objects it you don’t feel stable
• Clear the space around you and make sure you warm up before exercising

Although they may seem considerate during the first few weeks, displaying these messages every time I just want a quick workout - sometimes even multiple times per session - and forcing me to press “A” to move past them becomes very irritating after about the fiftieth occurrence.

I appreciate that Nintendo are primarily taking precautions to ensure any thoughts of legal action against them due to injury or misuse or negated, but isn’t this just a case of taking things just a step too far? Wouldn’t it have been better to adopt a model where the frequency of the messages is scaled down in direct relation to the number of “Wii Fit” minutes logged? Or is this really just a sad reflection of the state of affairs of the world we live in, where common sense is disregarded and personal accountability seems to be teetering on the precipice of extinction?

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After many months of deliberating I finally took the plunge and decided to purchase Wii Fit. To be honest it wasn’t for Wii Fit itself, but for the Balance Board, which I wanted to combine with Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip. In the end however, and perhaps to my surprise, it’s Wii Fit that has seen regular use.

I think it’s fair to say that Wii Fit has endured quite a bit of scorn and scepticism during its brief life. Quite possibly because it represents the new “casual” Nintendo, not the hardcore fan service of yesteryear. But I don’t really take offence with what they (Nintendo) are doing; they’re just tapping into a mostly untouched demographic and are fully exploiting it for all it’s worth before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon. In the meantime I’ll get most of my kicks on another console - that’s my prerogative.

For the record, I don’t necessarily view Wii Fit as a game in the traditional sense, although I do think it’s challenging the boundaries of what’s conceptually acceptable as a video game. It does after all have some of the qualities present in most video games - active participation with feedback, unlockable rewards, high score tables, and a goal in the form of self improvement. However, I prefer to think of Wii Fit as something more akin to say a fitness DVD. A motivational tool that’s far more entertaining than grinding out 30 minutes on a mind numbingly dull piece of fitness apparatus. And although the benefits may be proportionally less than a specialised piece of equipment, I believe it can still find place, especially if used regularly as part of an overall training plan.

The actual exercises’ within Wii Fit are split into four distinct categories: Yoga, Muscle Workouts, Aerobic Exercises, and Balance Games. To begin with not all the exercises in each category are unlocked, but instead they are slowly revealed as the total amount of Wii Fit minutes accumulates in the piggy-bank. This not only helps promote a gradual progression, but it also serves to act as a simple reward mechanism – the more you play, the more you’ll unlock, and hence the more you’ll get out of Wii Fit. Tutorials are provided for both the Yoga and Muscle Workouts with each one clearly demonstrated and explained by your personal trainer, whom will also provide useful feedback and recommendations during the actual exercise depending upon the movement being fed back from the balance board.

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