Does this controller make me look fat?
As an exercise nut, I was delighted to learn about Wii Fit. I thought that this bold move for Nintendo could potentially alter people’s negative stereotypes of gamers. Say “sayonara” to the potato chip-riddled gamers spilling out of their sofas and “hello” to a refreshing, health-conscious new prototype! Well, that’s the idea, at least. If you think it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. In fact, some say Wii Fit might be doing more damage than good.
You wouldn’t think a game that teaches yoga could run the risk of getting an “M” rating, but some parents are demanding it. Nintendo is currently being scrutinized over a father’s claim that his 10-year-old daughter’s body image is ruined thanks to Wii Fit. Calculating her BMI (body mass index) by entering her height and weight, the game deemed her “overweight”—a claim her father vehemently denies.
Having been a chubby kid myself, my first reaction was one of skepticism. The father claims that “she is solidly built but not fat,” but then again, I was always “comforted” by being told I was “just big-boned but not fat,” much to my chagrin. With no pictures released of this young gamer, I was convinced that this dad was suffering from “despite her love handles, my daughter’s perfect” syndrome. Then, I suddenly remembered something and started giving him the benefit of the doubt: my personal trainer once told me to ditch the scale. Why? Muscle is much denser than fat, so an athletic person could weigh more than the average person, yet be in fantastic shape.
According to the Baylor College of Medicine, children’s BMIs have a tendency to be inaccurate. In a study, one out of six children with “ideal” BMIs had unhealthy fat levels, while one out of four children with an “overweight” BMI had a normal body fat percentage. This means that not only is Wii Fit likely calling some healthy kids overweight, but it’s also allowing some unhealthy ones to go undetected. Perhaps Nintendo should have done a little more homework before adding a BMI calculator to Wii Fit and included a body fat calculator instead!
I fully understand the traumatizing nature of being called “fat” at a tender young age (or any age for that matter), but sometimes telling people to put down the Cheetos is really in their best interest. Some preemptive strikes to fight weight gain as a kid would’ve made my life much easier, and I hope Wii Fit serves as a jumpstart to healthy lifestyles for gamers that were like me. That said, a game that helps you stay active is one thing; a game that calls you a fatty is another. Nintendo, leave it to the doctors to call people overweight from now on, okay? It will save you a lot of hassle and spare you the wrath of angry parents.
