[May 25, 2008]

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Stanley Miller Ii column: 'Wii Fit' balances health, entertainment

(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 25--If you felt weird waving a Wiimote in front of a television to play videogames, the just-released "Wii Fit" from Nintendo gives you an alternative. It takes active gaming to new levels via an innovative accessory called the Wii Balance Board.

The videogame and wireless balance board (which looks a lot like a bathroom scale) are Nintendo's latest effort to expand the definition and perception of electronic games using the most marketable and mainstream angles in its arsenal: family friendly health and fitness.

The pitch: Use videogames to introduce adults and children alike to concepts such as improving balance, aerobics and strength training -- all in the warm, friendly, fuzzy confines of the Wii.

Even the tamest videogames can be slammed by critics because of their sedentary nature. It's hard to imagine anyone hating "Wii Fit" -- it's as positive and wholesome as gaming can get.

The $90 "Wii Fit" package centers around the balance board, which is a wireless pressure-sensitive peripheral that gauges a player's weight and center of balance.

Using other figures such as your height, it cranks out other measurements, such as your body mass index, to help you set fitness goals that can be tracked inside its calendar, which can be password-protected for the shy or paranoid. Players exercising away from the game get credit for their efforts as the game tracks their progress.

The software even generates a "Wii Fit" age based on some initial tests, although I'd question its accuracy because it deemed me 18 years older than I am. Retrying the trials moments later landed me within two years of my actual age, so don't be disheartened by any "Wii Fit" assessment. It is only a game after all.

The system explains that people with uneven balance unnaturally compensate, generating poor posture. To better your balance, the "Wii Fit" software guides a virtual you -- a customized character called a Mii -- through a series of strength training sessions, aerobic exercises and yoga poses.

The more you play, the more progress you make, and the more games you can unlock. But there are plenty of virtual workouts to get you started. For example, a step exercise game scrolls footprints across the screen -- similar to the arrows in "Dance Dance Revolution" -- guiding you on and off the board.

The balance board suits the balancing mechanics of skiing, and "Wii Fit" has tasks tied to jumping and slalom exercises. A virtual slalom course requires you to shift your weight from side to side to go through the flags, while the jumping challenge has players crouch down on the board to build up speed and then lift their knees at just the right time to get the best distance. Just don't jump off the board.

Also, a male or female virtual personal trainer walks you though different yoga poses and strength training exercises such as push-ups, lunges and leg extensions, offering advice if it detects flaws in your form.

The workouts in "Wii Fit" are friendly enough to entice players to explore active games while being fun enough to lure the non-gaming public, too. And that kind of cultural crossover is very good for gaming.

To see more of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.jsonline.com.

Copyright (c) 2008, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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