I recuse myself from commenting on this post, since roughly half my family’s income – the part not earned by me – is brought in by a video game programmer.

Oh, OK, you twisted my arm. I’d rather see a kid playing a game that requires physical movement of large muscle groups than one that uses nothing but thumbs. I don’t think the Wii competes with playing outside. I think the Wii competes with other video games. That makes it, not an absolute good, but the lesser of two evils.

Having said all that – and I hope the other income earner in the family doesn’t take this too harshly – I find something creepy about the Wii. Over the last 60 years, our culture has become increasingly focused on the nuclear family and the interior of the home. First television, then the VCR, then the Internet … increasingly we have fewer and fewer reasons to go out of the house. You don’t need to go out of the house to shop or be entertained – or even, like me, to do your job. We spend too much of our incomes on homes because we never leave them, we don’t save enough, and our economy is in a shambles precisely because of this debt. (An older friend of mine tells me that when she was a newlywed, she and her husband got by in a 400 sq. foot efficiency in Manhattan because they spent all their waking hours out of the apartment. If you spend all your time at home, then maybe you do need 2,000 sq. feet.) We don’t know our neighbors, so we have to arrange play dates for our kids. People don’t even sit on their front porches any more. And now, with Wii and Wii Fit, we don’t actually have to go out to play golf. Creeeeeeeeeeeepy.

“Comparing apples to Guatemala …” I will have to remember that one.

You’re comparing apples to Guatemala. They are not even close to the same thing.

Perhaps you have misunderstood the comparison. I was not comparing the effects of smoking to using Wii. Rather, I was noting that both are simply engaging in PR with their advice.

You’re comparing apples to Guatemala. They are not even close to the same thing.

Of course its not a substitute for activity, but compared to the vegging out that is normally associated with video games? Its leaps and bounds better.

Just like the tobacco companies give you advice on how to quit smoking and how to talk to your kids about smoking.

I would suggest that the videogame may compete with the TV viewing habits of the youth, adults, and seniors; but in no way do videogames actually impact socialization.

Kids are already spending less time outdoors in unstructured play compared to twenty or thirty years ago owing to safety concerns and the invention of so many new electronic distractors besides the TV. I agree that Wii will compete with other electronic toys, not free play.

I don’t like to spend time playing games but I have a gammer family, what can I say. It’s much better than most of the trash on tv.

Then again….I did have “Atari” thumb from too much asteroids….but I still managed to get bored and go outside and play.

Could the same claim be made for watching a movie or reading a book?

Videogames are a growing segment of interactive entertainment. I would suggest that the videogame may compete with the TV viewing habits of the youth, adults, and seniors; but in no way do videogames actually impact socialization.

As a parent, be the parent and limit the amount of time the consoles can be utilized. The consoles even have features that limit play time.

Furthermore, with the release of Wii Fit, I would recommend that Fuji try the Wii out for himself and then provide an update.

Lastly, as for advertising to the young, the videogame advertisements are far healthier than the junk food peddled to the sedentary masses.

http://www.geek.com/hwswrev/game/wii/nintendowii21.jpg