Today I was reading my monthly issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) and came accross the preview of Wii Fit, due out in the Spring, a personal trainer in your home at your disposal 24/7. The game comes with a balance board controller (right) that will use sensors to read the mass that is distributed throughout your body. When you start the 'game' it will take your weight and then ask you to input your height. Then it will calculate your body mass index (BMI) to track your fitness level. It will do so weekly and, if I understand the concept correctly, it will, through the various gameplay modes (which haven't been clearly discussed anywhere I can find yet) help you lose weight or at least tell you how over or under-weight you are. Aparently the Mii that you've created for the Wii will also fluxuate it's body type based on how thin or full bodied you may be.Wii games in general can make you work up a sweat, just ask my roomates. Heated and intense games of Wii Sports tennis or Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games can escalate heart rates and result in a fair share of sore muscles.
The folks at Wii, and Nintendo in general, have already given the gaming community the ability to shape and sharpen their minds through video games with titles like Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (Left) and Flash Focus for the Nintendo DS. This trend of self help through video games is actually very refreshing and offers some hope for our increasingly overweight and obese society.We've all seen those (annoying) commercials where the mom tells her kids "Make sure you're playing your video games!" Pretty soon, if the general trends continue for younger gamers and for family ethics, this will become an increasing part of our reality. It's crazy to think that what we used to do instead of real things are actually quickly growing into...real things.
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