Wii

__**Nintendo Wii**__


The Nintendo Wii opened a whole new world for video games. It has a new interactive and social approach to gaming. It is not so much about winning and accomplishing a task or quest, it is more about being active. The Wii brought games onto a video system that no other games have before. Wii gives people the ability to play all types of sports in their own home, such as; bowling, tennis, baseball and even jogging. It gets people to be more active while still having fun. The Wii also has a game line called “Wii Fit”. It is a game that helps people work out and stay in shape. You create yourself by making a “Mii” with all of your personal demographics such as weight, height, sex, etc. It then has you do some balance tests and gives you a personal trainer. You and the trainer can create a work out plan and track your strength and weight loss over time. It is a great way to stay in shape without having to pay a gym membership or a personal trainer and it can be done in your own home.

Nintendo was a very popular gaming company in the 1990s. However in the 2000s it was not very popular and could not compete with Sony and other gaming industries. They had to think of a new way for gaming to become successful in the gaming market again. They came out with the Nintendo Wii and completely changed the gaming industry. The Wii brought out a new way of gaming by using a remote and a sensor bar that tracks the players physical actions. Wii brought exercise and action into video games. The Wii mimics your moves buy using the Wii-mote and the sensor bar. The graphics are rather simple, but you create your "Mii" look alike and you see them playing the games and doing the moves you command it to do with your body.

The Wii has also been helpful in rehabilitation. One study showed that the Wii is a low cost way to help kids and teens regain motor skills and gives them a new way to participate in occupational therapy. The patients could use the controllers and play bowling, tennis, baseball, etc. The kids could play them while sitting or standing. "In this case study, the patient was a 13-year-old male with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. In a school-based setting, he participated in 11 training sessions, over a four-week period, using the Wii while continuing to receive physical and occupational therapy. The sessions were each between 60 and 90 minutes long and used the Wii sports games software, which offers boxing, tennis, bowling, and golf. He trained in both standing and sitting positions." The study shows that using the Wii helped the student immensly and gave him a fun way to do therapy.



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