Campaigner calls Wii exercise in schools 'another gimmick'
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Jan 28th 2008 at 12:00PM }
It seems the school is still the eminent source of name calling, as the Wii, which has managed to shrug off all the "little fad" comments thus far, has been subjected to yet another "another gimmick" label. This time, however, it's in relation to the UK Department of Health's endorsement of an in-school "active" games scheme designed by the Droitwich and Worcester City School Sport Partnership. Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, was unconvinced by the program's weight-loss merits, saying, "Pupils would be far better doing serious competitive sports and games than this sort of thing." Channel 4 reports that this sort of thing has already been implemented in five schools in Worcestershire as "virtual PE," with the hopes that active gaming would lure children to participate in other physical exercise. Seaton, however, believes it "looks like another gimmick," one that's "pandering to the views of the physically idle." The Department of Health argued that the Wii makes for a good "first step" towards other forms of exercise, though failed to mention the benefits of the many, many steps required to excel in the physical strenuous Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party.
Mind you, the embarrassing view of the physical idol in school would likely result in even more nasty name calling.
[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Theran @ Jan 28th 2008 12:10PM
I have to agree on this one, it is a gimmick, just because the Wii is selling well does not change the fact that it is replacing time when proper sport is taught and played.
Also The Department of Health are idiots (I can say this since I'm British), 'A good first step' is the perfectly good example- any 4 your old can play a sport (sprinting) they should stop being 'understanding' and force kids to play sport.
People wonder why there's a Obesity epedemic!!
mike_p @ Jan 28th 2008 2:31PM
Yeah I've got to second that. You can't really say that Wii is a substitute for exercise.
I love my fair share of gaming. But even I know playing Wii isn't really exercising. If you're dead tired after playing Wii Boxing, you didn't get a great workout; you're just really unfit... and you haven't figured out how to play the game like a pro =P
vidGuy @ Jan 28th 2008 12:12PM
I completely agree. However, when most students don't even want to play dodgeball or basketball anymore, you've got to get them up and doing something. Even my college has a fitness course that includes DDR and Wii Sports.
Is either one a means to fitness? No way. If you exercise even a few hours a week these won't do anything for you. But if you are just sitting around, these can be a fun way to trick you into moving around. Most games and sports are just fun ways to get you running around, anyway. I don't see why video games can't be included.
DCBlack @ Jan 28th 2008 12:19PM
Having a Wii fitness course in college is a different story though, because that's for adults who should already have an idea of what is good for them. What they do in life is their decision at that point. But I do feel that minors should be forced to some extent to get active in PE and outside of school as well. That would be the parents' fault.
Ryan Henson Creighton @ Jan 28th 2008 12:41PM
It's by "forcing" insecure and bullied kids into physical activities where they're clearly outclassed that we've created this problem. When i was a kid, i was terrified of gym class. Just as some kids slip through the cracks and don't learn to read properly because they're grouped in with kids who are far more proficient, some kids grow up with an aversion to sports because the environment was intimidating and inappropriate.
So no, playing Wii games is not as good as playing basketball. And learning your alphabet is not as good as reading a novel, but you have to start somewhere.
DCBlack @ Jan 28th 2008 12:51PM
@Ryan, I understand your argument. I wasn't the most athletic in school either, but kids should still be made to be active. There are better ways to do it than traditional ways. I'm not sure what the best way is, whether it's grouping kids according to their skills or what. But being active doesn't necessarily mean competitive sports either. Even if it's just walking or weight lifting, it is important for parents to get their kids to be active.
And as I said, I just think the Wii in any school situation other than a college course would just be a distraction for kids. Not only that, but it would also wrongly teach the kids that the Wii is an appropriate substitute for true exercise, which maybe it can reach that point someday with games like DDR and Wii Fit, but it hasn't yet. At best, the activity level is a fun supplement for good old exercise right now.
Just like you argued, I could be bad at sports, but that doesn't mean I should be an obese couch potato. At the same time, someone who is bad at math might not become an accountant, but it doesn't mean they should avoid math completely and be inept at managing their finances.
DCBlack @ Jan 28th 2008 12:16PM
I'm all for the idea of using the Wii as a fun alternative to get people to be somewhat active. I plan on trying to one day incorporate a Wii or whatever other motion control games that are out by then into my practice as part of some of my patients' rehab. But I have to say that I don't think schools should be trying to use Wii. I just feel there are too many cases where that can just degenerate into "SSBB period." Don't get me wrong, I would love that if I was still in school, but I would try to stay parked in front of it all day in school.
Chris @ Jan 28th 2008 12:17PM
Rather Wii than DDR xD
WiNG @ Jan 28th 2008 12:29PM
They should go back to DDR.
Or better yet, DDR Hottest Party on the Wii.
Seriously, nobody can claim that's not exhausting if you play at 1 level higher than you can comfortably pass.
LongshotX @ Jan 28th 2008 12:49PM
At Ryan, I'm sorry but you sound like a bitch. People are always going to be better than you at everything athletically and academically. That is no reason to be "terrified", and display a lack of self-confidence. Have people really become this weak?
Josh @ Jan 28th 2008 1:02PM
I agree. Most people use intimidation as an excuse for being lazy. If you suck at basketball but want to play then you have to practice. It's sad that some people don't have one ounce of competitiveness in their body.
LongshotX @ Jan 28th 2008 1:07PM
The problem is they'd rather sit or their behind and be a loser. They don't understand what it means to be competitive or at least try. All they know is that they "suck" and that the world and everybody in it is a "big bully". These are the same people who can't bear going to a party or asking a girl out on a date. OOOhhh too scary.
vidGuy @ Jan 28th 2008 1:12PM
Same thoughts here. I'm not very athletic but I busted my ass for four years in HS football and was named the team captain my senior year. Still wasn't a starting player but I was definitely involved. Ran track (and sucked) and have been playing intramurals in college (still suck). You've gotta face the fact that you won't be good at some things and you'll still have to do them anyway.
Co @ Jan 28th 2008 1:52PM
I agree longshot. Ryan you're a bitch in its purist form.
Chilly Willy @ Jan 28th 2008 1:53PM
Wow! just wow! How insensitive and forgetful can you be? Think back to grade school and high school. Students don't raise their hand in class for fear of being wrong. They'd rather not understand an important concept in class than be embarrassed in front of their peers. For most young people, their biggest fear in life is being embarrassed. Now apply that mentality that MANY school children hold (if it doesn't apply to you personally, understand that it DOES apply to MANY others out there) to gym class and you can (hopefully) understand why you are being rude as all hell.
Co @ Jan 28th 2008 2:00PM
chilly willy, I was only referring to the physical competition piece of the argument. Reading and other academics not so much...
vidGuy @ Jan 28th 2008 2:10PM
We completely understand that argument, Willy. And I feel for them, as I was once one of them. The thing is, the fear of embarrassment or their peer's reaction doesn't excuse them from life. If you never conquer this fear, you can't function in society for long. How are you going to get a job, share your life with someone, speak in front of a crowd, etc?
Chilly Willy @ Jan 28th 2008 2:21PM
vidGuy:
I understand what you're saying, but just feel that it can't be a sink-or-swim mentallity to help these people out. I have always been good at sports and was never overweight (though it's starting to catch up with me a bit now :) but I will use my son as an example. He is slow to speak at the age of two. He's in speech therapy now and improving everyday. The speech therapist doesn't tell him though "Talk now or you'll never talk!" It's a process of getting him to speak a little more at a time.
In this same way I feel that getting those students who would be less inclined to play a really physical sport in front of their peers because of weight issues or what-not would be more inclined to use the Wii first, build some confidence, and then later in the gym class curriculum slowly acclimate them into more physical sports. Baby steps, if you will.
PointyThings @ Jan 28th 2008 5:30PM
I try not to let people get to me but I'll be damned if I didn't want to skip PE to avoid the squawking dickhole jocks who wanted to tell me how gay I am for not being good at _____. Am I a bitch if I don't give a shit about sports? If it means Sweaty McJockmeat thinks I'm cool if I win flag football, I think I'd rather be a bitch.
Being active is super important, don't get me wrong, I wish the Wii could offer serious health benefits. Instead of raising kids to be competitive and win no matter what (Don't say you can apply that shit to real life, football players are not successful bankers or stockbrokers), we should be sitting them down and saying, hey, eating right and exercise are important for good health, this will be your reward for being good at sports.
I guess my point is, some kids need better rewards then, "Hey you won. Good game"
hvnlysoldr @ Jan 28th 2008 12:49PM
Wii wii
LongshotX @ Jan 28th 2008 12:51PM
Excuse my usage of the b word. I should have put an asterisk in there. Sorry.
baby sea tuna @ Jan 28th 2008 1:21PM
The fuck are you talking about?
hvnlysoldr @ Jan 28th 2008 12:52PM
Clearly they see the hazard of all that duct tape near so many children.
Jess Q. @ Jan 28th 2008 12:53PM
I agree, DDR is way more strenuous. I also agree that some people are just not inclined to play sports and "forcing" them to play those sports will not make them good at it, and it won't make them like it. In fact, they'll probably hate sports even more.
Just like if you force some stereotypical jock to take an active part in his English class and that (surprisingly?) doesn't turn him into someone who LOVES English, so too, you can't make a non-active kid be an active kid by forcing him to suck at sports in front of his more athletic classmates.
Also, it isn't always a matter of just being lazy. In junior high I went to the gym 5 times a week and lost 40 pounds. I *still* was dead last on the mile run, and had to walk most of it, even though I was now the same weight as my classmates and probably in a lot better shape than almost all of them. I'm just not a runner; some people just aren't good at physical sports, so you can't MAKE them be something they aren't.
Green_Ogre @ Feb 25th 2008 8:20AM
No, but you can force him to learn how to read, especially if you threaten him with his hobbies such as football, basketball, etc. The same goes with English students being forced to do gym. You can force them to exercise and not die as quickly from obesity.
DCBlack @ Jan 28th 2008 12:55PM
When the price comes down on that, I plan on putting it in my office for patients/clients. That can definitely be good exercise, though it's not my taste in music.
jsn @ Jan 28th 2008 12:55PM
The wii is a gimmick, just like all of its gimmicky peripherals. Unfortunately it's one of the few gimmicks to actually find financial success...
vidGuy @ Jan 28th 2008 2:12PM
Fortunately, it's a gimmick that is damn fun for everyone who's not a fricking hater.
jsn @ Jan 28th 2008 3:02PM
I've dropped $700+ on the system, controllers and games and I'm willing to openly criticize the system for its flaws and shortcomings, so that makes me a hater?
One year later and the system still has not delivered on the promise of experiences beyond your average game system. In fact, a year later it looks more and more like the "two gamecubes duct taped together" it was criticized for being than it ever has before. Few of the games for it actually benefit from the new controls and most of them would likely be better without them. Nintendo is even releasing a flagship title for it that is admittedly BETTER when played using a traditional controller. If that's not a gimmick, what is??
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Jan 28th 2008 3:58PM
"If that's not a gimmick, what is??"
Sixaxis. From name to functions, its gimmick all over.
Koopaknight29 - (Nintendo Loyalist) @ Jan 28th 2008 4:07PM
I'm still waiting on my 4-D graphics' engine, and a cure for cancer...
vidGuy @ Jan 28th 2008 4:16PM
If you've spent $700+ then apparently you've had some fun with it, so my point stands.
While I completely disagree with your opinion on motion controls (Madden, Tiger Woods, Paper Mario, Zack and Wiki, SMG, even Twilight Princess, none would be the same without motion control), I respect it and can see why you might feel that way. Suffice it to say though, whether you think it's a gimmick or not, MANY people are enjoying it, so I call it a success.
PointyThings @ Jan 28th 2008 5:36PM
Spending a shit load of money on something does not make you some kind of expert, in fact it implies quite the opposite.
DCBlack @ Jan 28th 2008 12:56PM
My bad, that was @Wing.
hvnlysoldr @ Jan 28th 2008 12:59PM
When watching T2 production commentary I was surprised by how many times gag was used with stunts. Then I realized it was just a term referring to a scene with a prop. What's that got to do with gimmicks? Some fail, some work.
refinedsugar @ Jan 28th 2008 1:03PM
This type of Wii publicity sells itself. Frig, you don't have to be a fanboy to see the paint on the wall. Nintendo isn't competing for the hardcore market alongside the PS3 and the 360. They are in a category all their own. They've found their niche with the extremely casual/social gamer set, the hardcore Nintendo people, and with the control scheme (whenever or not, you see it as a gimmick) appealing to certain people and each console turning a profit hardware-wise, they've got more than enough profitable positives to balance the nagging negatives.
LongshotX @ Jan 28th 2008 1:15PM
Don't tell Jodyanthony that. He'll cry. Nintendo has found how to sell a gimmick. The Wii should have its own infomercials.
"Available for 5 E-Z payments of 49.99! And if you buy within the next ten minutes we'll even include Wii sports accessories which includes bowling shoes, golf attachment, tennis attachment and for a limited time the Barry Bonds and Roger Clemons batting and pitching attachments!"
Mr Khan @ Jan 28th 2008 4:45PM
Nintendo's found a niche?
It's the other way around. PS360 is worked into the niche, its just the niche with all the awesome games, but a niche nonetheless
JakubK666 @ Jan 28th 2008 1:07PM
What about CS/UT/Halo tournaments for PE lessons? They're sports too...also me & m8 would pretty much own them all as we're pretty much the only geeks in my Jock-Infested School...it would be fun kicking their asses for a change :)
Matt B @ Jan 28th 2008 1:16PM
They could use wii golf for an exercise in an anger management class.
Ghaleon @ Jan 28th 2008 1:49PM
It's not like Nintendo has "SUBSTITUTE FOR EXERCISE!" in a big sticker on the box. It's the media that perpetuated the "LOOK U CAN SWEAT WITH WIIBOXING" thing.
People in Japanese arcades play Popn Music with freestyle routines where they run around the machine and shit, but that doesn't mean the game is advertising itself as GOOD FITNESS. Nor does the Wii.
WiiFit is a different story, obviously, in that it's SUPPOSED to be exercise. If THAT doesn't help you lose weight, and it says it will, that's a different story.
jainks @ Jan 28th 2008 2:08PM
[Deleted]
vidGuy @ Jan 28th 2008 2:15PM
Beat it spammer, and take your Indian marriages with you.
Anyone want to spam this guy's email with reply notices?
License to ill @ Jan 28th 2008 3:23PM
And if he unchecked "email me when someone replies" which I always do out of habit. Just saying whats the point since his spam bullshit gets deleted...
billychaos @ Jan 28th 2008 2:18PM
I dont understand the point of this article. Nintendo never said the wii was to replace exersice or even that it was an exersise machine. The general public made this assumption on their own. Wii fit isnt even an exersise game, they made it clear at e3 that wii fit only measures how fit you are. That's no different than going to a coin op "fortune teller by wieght" machine and getting a fortune. It just measures your fitness. It is not a fitness program. Nintendo never said any of this. As a matter of fact the PR person blatenly stated once that the wii is not meant to be workout equipment.
Dont blame nintendo for the assumptions made by the public.
umm....hello??? @ Jan 28th 2008 3:25PM
just like GH or RockBand aren't replacements for learning to play musical instruments (well, maybe the drums and vocals in RockBand are), WiiFitness is not a replacement for proper exercise. but hey, if you're going to be playing videogames, at least it gets you off your ass and you're at least standing up and using SOME energy to play.
Mr Khan @ Jan 28th 2008 4:50PM
The vocals aren't really. It's fun to cheat by just hitting the right note with your voice and replacing all the words with "la la la,"
Software isn't that smart
SaraAB87 @ Jan 28th 2008 3:38PM
I don't think the Wii really constitutes a proper workout or physical activity. I read an article a while back that said kids that fail at playing Wii sports are even LESS likely to try a real sport.
I was thankful that in high school all you had to do here was really try in gym class and you passed. If you tried and couldn't do it that was OK as long as you tried, put forth your best effort and did not complain or make a big scene. Of course our high school only offered 4 sports in Gym Class and we had no choice, you had to do one sport each semester, sigh.
I know that most schools are limited but I would say the best way to handle this would be to provide lots of options to students in the way of gym classes and exercise so that everyone could find something.
The general public thinks that the Wii is an exercise machine and is a replacement for exercise, this is even more dangerous than not having any exercise at all because it encourages you to think that playing the Wii is good for you when it really is not and because your playing the Wii you don't have to go out and do any actual exercise. We are so desperate to find an easy way to exercise and lose weight that we will take popular products and make them out to what they are not really designed for, its not an idea that Nintendo really planned for. Soon they will have to start labeling the boxes, not a substitute for an actual exercise program.
You can mess yourself up pretty bad playing DDR, its not really healthy for you if you do it in large sessions or stomp really really hard constantly. I know because I tried it. The home versions are way less strenuous though than arcade versions. The last thing you want to do is mess up your legs like I have so that you can't use them to exercise anymore.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jan 28th 2008 3:43PM
this whole wii fit thing and people trying to substitute it for other things is just pure insanity. Get off your asses and play sports in gym class, or run, or do some kind of excercise that doesn't involve a damn video game
Mr Khan @ Jan 28th 2008 4:49PM
Oh i agree with this. Public Schools have been trying to cram exercise gimmicks down the latest generation's throat for the past five years or so
The obesity epidemic is a crock anyway, i think. Fitness is good, of course, for total wellness, but people preaching obesity epidemic like it's the new AIDS or something need to get hit in the head
Of course, i wouldn't mind if my school got in on this, it would be the 3rd PE activity i could actually win in (the first two being Tennis and Soccer)