PE to WiiE: Games Pull Their Weight

Far removed from the Reagan era “Ketchup is a vegetable” motto which helped cafeterias skirt nutrition.

requirements, schools today are searching for genuine ways to keep kids healthy.The Nintendo Wii may be the next piece of ’sports equipment’ classes raise funding for.
Of course, the current Wii lineup will not replace physical activity.A study funded by Nintendo’s UK marketing branch, Cake, determined that “In a typical week, active gaming rather than passive gaming would increase total energy expenditure by less than 2 percent.”A disappointing, yet not especially surprising result, considering only Wii Sports was tested for the active games‘ camp.

“Exergaming” date back to the beginning of the video game revolution. Early attempts to liven up exercise humdrum (or to make games multifunctional) include the almost-was Atari Puffer, an exercise bike which would control games by how fast the player pedaled; the actually released Computrainer bike, available from 1986 and still to this day; and Bandai / Nintendo’s Stadium Events / World Class Track Meet (along with most other goodies playable on the Power Pad). The exergaming industry picked up when Konami borrowed from Nintendo’s Power Pad design in 1998 and released Dance Dance Revolution, the fast-paced, full-body motion game which drew crowds at arcades, competitive tournaments, and a huge fan base (with options which have exploded to this overwhelming level).DDR preempted Wiis in classrooms in 2006, and official, academic studies began sprouting up which looked into this new games-as-exercise trend. Dr. Linda Carson, who introduced DDR to its first West Virginia classroom, said at the time “The results are really amazing. Children who were overweight and obese demonstrated a real decrease in the cardiovascular risk factors that they were demonstrating at baseline.”

Although the same praise and results have not yet been visible with Wii Sports, the Wii is not a lost classroom cause. Wii Fit, which will be released in May, incorporates the full body experience that makes DDR such a useful calorie killer. 2007’s E3 trailer demonstrates the wide variety of exercises Wii Fit will offer its players, (as well as what nice homes all Wii owners apparently have). What may be missing is the competitive nature DDR infests its players with, to keep them striving for faster, tougher challenges. Although Wii Fit has a few collaborative and multiplayer functions, such as jogging together in the running mode or striving for more Fit Credits, it is a primarily personal journey toward self-improvement.

The Wii’s best home in nationwide PE courses may be as a promised reward, not as its own activity. Offering a free period of Wii Sports or Fit to students with perfect attendance or solid effort for the week may help motivate them in those more traditional exertions, and would be a constructive reward (as opposed to handing out fast food coupons for good grades). Kids that would be motivated by playing games could be provoked by their reward as well: like getting the PE high score, and the bonus level pits you against the Wii Fit boss.