Active Gaming Tips

As an owner of a Wii system, including the Wii Fit balance board, I have to agree with the basic premise of this article. The Wii provides a much better way for kids to play video games than older gaming systems. The main health related issues with video games prior to advent of active gaming systems were repetitive motion injuries and obesity. While it is also true that games on the Wii will never replace and active lifestyle, they can be a useful tool to keep kids moving during the winter months when it is harder to get out and play outside without risking frostbite! In answer to some of the previous comments: Wochen: While it is true that many of the Wii games can be played from a seated position, if you have played these games with kids you would find that they usually don't sit! (My daughter has a bad habit of sitting to play tennis, but it usually results in missing shots, and she gets back up.) Most of the time, when playing the active games on the Wii there is more of a problem with the potential for injury due to the amount of movement that the kids are doing and the abandon with which they throw themselves into the game! Your comments also indicate that you have never seen the Wii-Fit balance board in action. It is physically impossible to play the Wii-Fit games while seated, with the exception of the exercises like the "Jack-knife" that involve ones buttocks being in contact with the floor. Moreover, the design of the games frequently aids the user in attaining the correct form. Anyone that thinks the Wii Fit is not real exercise should get on one and try some of the advanced Yoga poses or the "push-up/side plank" exercise under the "Strength Training" area. My 12 year old son puts me to shame on that one, though his form on his push-ups could use some work. robert999 and yetijones: You seem upset about the lack of research presented and assume that this is all opinion. They clearly state research results in the video, though without citation, but this is a common news reporting style, heavy on feature info and light on substance. It took me approximately 8 clicks to find at least one research study that supported their claims, without leaving the CommonSenseMedia site. Though this organization has ties to many media groups, it is a non-profit organization that generally provides good information. A link to the pertinent study (or studies if there are more than one) would be a nice addition to the article, but just because it doesn't have a link doesn't mean the studies don't exist. In short, I see nothing wrong with the reporting in this article, and much that is positive. It comments on the fact that active gaming is better for kids and adults than siting on the sofa and twitching ones thumbs, but also points out that it is not a replacement for physical activities like organized sports, bike riding, or just playing with your friends and family in the yard. To the complainers, if you would like to forbid your children from playing video games, that is your choice. It will likely lead them to feel a bit like social outcasts when they don't know what their friends are talking about when they brag about their gaming exploits, but that is your problem. If you want to encourage your children to enjoy video games that are not inherently sedentary, then active gaming is a great choice.