A Pain in the Wii

November 25th, 2006 by methodshop in Gaming Gadgets

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You will probably either sympathize or laugh at this latest story coming from the console gaming community. According to last Saturday’s Wall Street Journal (subscription required), gamers are finding that the new Nintendo Wii can be a real pain in the neck… back, shoulder, elbow, wrist, etc.

In case you are unfamiliar with the Nintendo Wii, the controller it comes with is a wireless, motion-sensitive wand-like device. Gamers wave the controller around in the air and depending on which type of game you are playing, the controller can be anything from a sword, gun, tennis racket, or even a steering wheel. However, since the console debuted in mid-November, Nintendo Wii owners are complaining of aching backs, sore shoulders, and even something now called “Wii elbow.”

Here are a couple quotes from the WSJ article from Nintendo Wii owners:

Blaine Stuart of Rochester, New York, mistakenly whacked his fiancee, Shelly Haefele, while playing tennis and also accidentally hit his dog while bowling despite the message Nintendo flashes up on the screen before each game which says: “Make sure there are no people or objects around you that you might bump into while playing.”

Ryan Mercer, a customs broker in Indianapolis, lifts weights several times a week. But that hasn’t helped much with the Wii. After playing the boxing game for an hour and a half, his arms, shoulders and torso were aching. “I was soaking wet with sweat, head to toe — I had to go take a shower,” he says. And the next morning? “I had trouble putting my shirt on,” says the 21-year-old avid gamer.

So what do the doctors think about all this? Lana Kang, an orthopedic hand surgeon, had this piece of advice, “It’s just like athletic play…. Stretch out and be sure to take care of any injuries afterwards.”

With the rate of obese children skyrocketing worldwide, you’d think people would be congratulating Nintendo for combining gaming and exercise, not complaining. Oh well. Grab another Big Mac and wait for the next generation of gaming consoles to come out. Maybe they’ll feature ‘mind control ‘ so you don’t even have to lift a finger to play.

digg story | methodshop

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6 Comments on “A Pain in the Wii”

Moon Says:

November 25th, 2006 at 4:56 pm

Hahahahaha! Gamers are SO out of shape that any little exercise causes stiff muscles and aching joints.

Get off the couch once in a while, fat ass!

Lewis Parker Says:

November 26th, 2006 at 11:17 am

What idiots! All you have to do is increase the sensitivity ans you will barely have to move your hand to play! BTW, this article blatantly screams “ANTI NINTENDO!!!!!!!!” at the top of its lungs because I have only heard good of the Wii. Nice try, but this is bull.

Myahon Says:

November 26th, 2006 at 3:27 pm

sounds to me like a classic case of wankers elbow, who is so out of shape they can’t point a remote at a TV?

I’ve been playing nonstop since launch and I feel great.

Ryan Says:

November 27th, 2006 at 2:23 am

What gets me is i could say i was swinging my playstation 3 controller and it hit me on the head, like to see that in the internet..

Elia Says:

December 2nd, 2006 at 3:02 pm

Aw c’mon its not anti nintendo its gamers mockery. Even if you are sprts trained this is probably gonna make you use those you-never-knew-you-had-them-till-they-acked-like-hell muscles since it has different types of exercises and all. Gamers probably used to sit around using nothing apart from wrist to fingers are finding that wii is a little bit more than a console. I think its great and once they get used to it, we may find a new off the couch, physically fit generation of gamers

PRspectives » Nintendo Faces an Unforeseen PR Challenge: Common Stupidity Says:

December 8th, 2006 at 6:48 pm

[...] People are injuring themselves, breaking windows, hitting each other, and basically getting totally out of control with these little plastic sticks. One scary video is even making its way around YouTube, and a website has been put up to document the problems. The cause of these incidents is nothing more than common stupidity, but Nintento will be the one to catch the flak, and is currently organizing a crisis PR response. [...]