Expert ‘aghast’ at idea of Wii Fit for kids
Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 12:54pm by Jack
Video games just can’t win. First, it was violence. Then, sex. And today? It seems as though one expert believes Wii Fit will kill it some young kids something fierce.
Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum is calling for children to be banned from Wii Fit.
I’m absolutely aghast that children are being told they are fat… BMI is far from perfect but with children it simply should not be used… A child’s BMI can change every month and it is perfectly possible for a child to be stocky, yet still very fit… I would be very concerned if children were using this game and I believe it should carry a warning for parents.
In my limited American experience, kids on average are fat these days. Many of them are obese, in fact. BMI is still a wonky measurement for certain body types, I’ll give her that, but if Wii Fit can influence these kids’ parents somehow, and better their lifestyles even just a little bit that way, I’m all for it.
And, Tam? Can i call you Tam? I think they’ll survive a little ribbing from a Mii avatar on a video game system, I does. Just a hunch.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
That’s a tough one. Little girls especially have enough problems trying to maintain a healthy outlook on their self-image without having a video game tell them that they’re fat. While having a game character tell that to them may not be a big deal, what if their friends are over playing and see the same thing, and suddenly everyone in her class is calling her Wii Fat or something like that? I don’t think kids should be “banned,” but maybe it might be nice if the program was smart enough to alter its approach to interactivity based on the age of the user? Just a thought.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
that’s right we should sugar coat everything and an obese child not using wii fit is much better off than one who wants to see what it’s all about. besides ribbing in real life doesn’t even happen. kids are nice to eachother and never point out one anothers flaws.
that’s the problem, we americans, are so wrapped up in the childs emotions and making them feel good we don’t even prepare them for real life. everything is just peachy keen until they grow up and realize they are not well adjusted at all and life is tough and people are mean.
i went to my nephew’s baseball game and they don’t even keep score, so you don’t hurt the losing teams feelings and everyone gets to hit the ball, there is no such thing as a strike or an out these days. wtf way to get them ready for a competetive work force and world.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Yeah BMI isn’t the best measure, but it’s the best for that application. They just need to get over it, I’d say it’s a good thing to have some idea of what your BMI is and understand what that means.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Oh, please.
It’s not as if Wii Fit is telling children things like, “Hey fat ass, stop eating Twinkies and watching Spongebob all day. You’re BMI is too high.” No one wants to take responsibility for their actions and mistakes anymore; guess what, American kids? You’re fat. Much fatter than most, in fact, and statistics consistently prove it.
Maybe Wii Fit should be so blunt.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I wish I was rich - then I can slap this person with a lawsuit for absolute stupidity.
How dare they even bring this up!
I believe you need to focus on the positive side - IT’S A TOOL USED FOR HELPING PEOPLE DEAL WITH THEIR OBESITY!!!
For the love of Hyrule, this person needs to fix that stupid pessimism and narrow-mindedness and see the real picture: there’s a game on the market that’s absolutely creative and wants to be helpful.
Don’t shun it - applaud it.
Otherwise you will be fat your entire life - and that’s something secretly every one thinks.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Can I say something here…
Did Nintendo force her on the balance board? Did they demand she buy this game or they’ll take away her TV??
It was her choice to buy the game and use it. Deal.
I don’t get all up in arms when Guitar Hero tells me I suck at pretend guitar playing. I just admit I suck. But I bought the game hoping to get better.
I plan on getting on the board and being told I’m overweight, since I am. But I am buying this game, not only for the new periph, but also to ignite me to start reevaluting my health situation.
This game might not be a “weight-loss solution”, but it’s targeted for that demographic. As long as people are confident in who they are, who cares what this game says.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
wow. just when you think you’ve heard it all…
May 16th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Ok…so nobody remarks about that sweet buldging ass in the picture? Man how I feel for that poor little metal folding chair. How can people let themselves go like that?
May 16th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Man, there are some insensitive pricks on this website. Obviously none of these commenters had to grow up being “the fat kid”. An adult can be told that they are fat by a video game and reason that the game is not a doctor, and that the judgment is based on broad algorithms, most likely based on Japanese physiology and cultural standards. A kid, on the other hand, may simply just become depressed, especially if they are going through puberty. And what do depressed people do? They eat more, sleep more, and certainly don’t feel motivated to go exercise.
It’s one thing to track a person’s BMI to use as a measure for progress, but it’s another to assign a meaning which may or may not be accurate, since the game can’t take into effect muscle mass, body fat percentage, resting heart rate, etc. Just imagine if Brain Age said “Your brain age is 61, that means you are stupid.” I don’t know what Nintendo was thinking with this one.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
The thing is, this guy really isn’t an expert if he’s made such a false asumption. Well, he may be an expert at sounding stupid, but really, we have enough of those already.
May 16th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
greatslack, you yourself are making a lot of assumptions.
1) Obviously none of these commenters had to grow up being “the fat kid”. That’s a load of BS - I will bet you anything there’s several people on these forums that did.
2) “A kid, on the other hand, may simply just become depressed, especially if they are going through puberty.” Whoa! Did you not know there’s a thing called metabolism that majorly accelerates in puberty???
3) “…and that the judgment is based on broad algorithms, most likely based on Japanese physiology and cultural standards.”
You know what? I bet you 100,000 rupees this is not true. It was designed to be non-discrimanatory. This game is made by a Japanese company, yes, that is true, but it is not made to model everyone towards a Japanese structured body.
So before you go making any more comments, why don’t you do your research some more? GET OFF THESE FORUMS OR REFRAIN FROM MAKING COMMENTS before you ever decide to post again. You think I’m insensitive? Go look in the mirror. Deal with it, and don’t be biased one way or another.
This game is a great move from Nintendo.
They want kids and adults to not only have fun playing games, but also to exercise in the process.
May 16th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Maybe it would just be a better idea to have parents play the game with their kids and explain what things that the game says mean and try to help the kids understand what it means when the game says their BMI is too high. Some actual active parenting might do better than just trying to “ban” kids from playing the game.
May 16th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
I also think its a good idea from Nintendo. People need a wake up call to their bodies. If the game says you BMI is large, then be motivated to lower it, get your family and friends involved, keep track and work on improving yourself for yourself. I’m tired of people pointing fingers and not taking responsibility for their own bodies, and decisions.
May 16th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Call a ’spade’ a ’spade’. I understand self-esteem issues, but isn’t the best for a fat kid to NOT feel bad about him or herself to LOSE SOME FRICKIN’ WEIGHT?!?! Don’t worry. I’m NOT a thin guy. 230 lbs @ 5′9″. I’ve always been big and probably always will be. I can run 4 miles, do numerous push ups, pull ups, and sit ups. I’m just not skinny. Seriously Tam, gimme a break!
May 16th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Guess what guys? I grew up as a fat kid but I wasn’t bullied because I was fat. I was bullied like so many kids because they thought I was gay (which I wasn’t). And guess what; I stood up to them when they tried to pull a fake knife on me by getting the police involved. They NEVER bothered me again. So greatslack creditability gets shot right from the get go.
As for Tam: Can you spot the lying by omission statement that she made? Of course BMI can change on a monthly basis and can be caused by different factors. One is height related to weight. One is fat, water and muscle. Problem is; muscle can only go so far in overall mass (unless you take steroids which really no one should try due to safety reasons). Fat can be virtually limitless. Now to be fair; we don’t know the girl’s BMI in question; or her eating and exercise habits and anyone who believe otherwise is lying to themselves.
However; Tam’s biggest mistake is proclaiming that telling children that they are fat is a bad thing. Tam is basically setting up the child for a lifetime of weight problems and nasty illnesses that comes as a consequence. And unlike greatslack; I can relate. I was a fat child who was told that I wasn’t fat. Guess what? I did nothing about it as a child. I ate like nothing else and didn’t get much if any exercise. My weight ballooned from age 10 all the way to right now. I am 454 lbs. (BMI is irrelevent because there is zero doubt that I am a fatass.) and have type-2 diabetics. If Heather Sanderson had been there at age 10 proclaiming that I was going to die due to heart diease and whatever to me; you can bet that I wouldn’t be in the predicament that I’m in now. She told me this about two months ago when I was 456 lbs. And two months later; it sank in finally and I lost 2 pounds. Yes; I’m 30 years old now, but that’s irrelevent. Tam is a poor spokeperson and she’s basically feeding on the obesity epicademic. Healthy eating and exercise MUST start at a young age and the first step is admitting that there is a problem. Anything less than that and the parents and children who get fat have no one but themselves to blame for abusing their bodies. I’m paying the price every day for my sins.
Sorry if I’m writing a long story here; but this story really pisses me off in so many ways. I do have some sympathy for the child because she’s getting fed misinformation by her parents who are more interested in shielding her instead of helping her get fit. And Tam Fry and greatslack are aiding and inbetting them. To those two; I’m going to say something they I never say even on my LiveJournal: FUCK YOU! AND YOUR LITTLE SELF-RIGHTOUS GOD TOO! And to Heather Sanderson: I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to you earlier.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I really hate the BMI system. Isn’t there a way to show your weight in plain english (i.e. the pound system)?
May 16th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
BMI is much better IMO.
This bypasses the problem of converting LBS to KGs, which can also result in calcuation errors.
Remember, it’s a game found in several different countries, and their measuring system can vary from country to country!
May 16th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Joltman: But in the Wii Fit edition of Ask Iwata, Miyamoto mentions being strongly opposed to the idea of displaying the results as BMI, because many people wouldn’t even know what that is. As for the differences between Metric system and the US customary units, it’s only a matter of programming the game to do the math and covert one to the other (depending on what region you have your console set to). I’m not very familiar with BMI, and I’d rather read how many pounds and half pounds I weigh after eating a meal than my BMI. So does anyone know if there is a way to change this in the settings of the game?
May 16th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
What a bunch of BS.
You shouldn’t try and complicate things. If a kid his fat, Wiifit is going to get him thin. If a kid is thin, Wiifit will see to it that he stays thin. How can it actually be a bad thing? It’s going to help America’s 50%+ overweight nation get some muscles, and Christ do we ever need them.
May 17th, 2008 at 1:11 am
I think people should give WiiFit a chance before they assume that their children will be traumatized. As far as I can tell, the game isn’t even targeted towards children anyway… it’s supposed to be a family experience and/or mainly for adults. I’m also under the impression that the game isn’t even about loosing weight, but simply getting more active.
May 17th, 2008 at 2:43 am
I really hate the BMI system. Isn’t there a way to show your weight in plain english (i.e. the pound system)?
Well, yeah.
Wii Fit shows your BMI and your weight, and plots both of them on a graph.
May 17th, 2008 at 2:46 am
Here are some screenshots: BMI, weight.
May 17th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Yes, because a 200 lbs 10 year old kid is completely normal…
May 18th, 2008 at 1:23 am
Ok, so fuck the first part of my previous post. To those who disagree with the first part, do you think that Nintendo should at least follow the precedent they set in Brain Age by not explicitly assigning a meaning to the measurement, especially since the measurement is an incomplete assessment of total health?
A simple disclaimer would suffice to keep kids from taking it too seriously, such as “Wii Fit is not a replacement for a physician. Visit a physician if you are seriously concerned about your health.”
May 18th, 2008 at 7:07 am
Okay; I just realized that this is a Daily Mail article so it’s now officially suspect from the get go. I don’t need to remind people of the last time we saw Daily Mail do a Nintendo article:
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/05/07/uk-mum-ds-turned-my-kids-into-monsters
So; I’m no longer going to get angry over this because I just cannot trust Daily Mail after the Rosie story (which I called as bad satire right from the start).
As for greatslack; you do have a point. You should see a physician about health problems. A health specialist is a better idea. A simple disclaimer would help too. Still; my point stands about starting healthy eating habits and exercise young to avoid problems later on in life.
May 24th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
And it turns out that the whole story from Daily Mail was distorted as I expected. The family went on television to set the record straight that the whole story was merely a tempest in a teapot. I actually saw the girl and while I think it’s foolhardy to tell if she is fat or not just by looking at her; I can safely say that she isn’t morbidly obese by a longshot. That is now officially the second article from Daily Mail that has made us fanboys look like a bunch of fools. I feel somewhat ashamed myself.