Addicting Video Games

If your idea of fitness is being able to place equal weight on both feet and minimizing your muscle mass, Wii Fit Plus is the product for you.

Wii Fit Plus is basically just a board with four scales and some primitive computer graphics. It begins by determining your ability to place equal weight on each foot. Unfortunately, this isn’t even a remotely important measure of fitness. And if you’re off by a small amount (or get bored doing this worthless test and start talking to someone while it’s measuring, as I did), it tells you that you’re badly out of shape and you must fall down a lot. It also accuses your body of being very old. It then proceeds to ask you your height and then to weigh you, computing your body mass index (BMI), a well-known discredited measure of fitness. The reason the BMI is worthless is that it doesn’t distinguish between muscle mass, which is obviously good, and fat mass, which is obviously bad, so someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the fittest men in the world, would be declared “obese” and told to lose his hard-earned muscles. Indeed, Wii Fit Plus does precisely this.

Wii Fit Plus then proceeds, using extremely primitive graphics, to run through a series of not-so-aerobic exercises and pseudo muscle training (without weights!). It’s difficult to imagine how this product could help anyone to get into anything resembling good shape. Going through these motions on the board offers minimal exercise. Worse, if you do anything at all vigorous on it (which fortunately, Wii Fit Plus won’t ask you to do), it’d be dangerous, as it would be easy to fall off the small board even if you have perfect balance. There’s no reason to do such exercises on a board anyway.

Almost any simple aerobics video would be much better for aerobics training and would provide much better graphics for a fifth the price. And a few inexpensive dumbbells would provide better weight training. And a simple look in the mirror would tell you if you’re too fat or too skinny—much more accurately than the BMI would.

In my opinion, this product is a waste of money, and, worse, since Wii is mainly used by kids, it could easily mislead them about what constitutes actual fitness. So if you’re thinking of getting this for your kids, please consider instead something more appropriate, like a lower-fat diet and more real exercise. Or get them an aerobics video or just encourage them to do some simple running, biking, or even walking. In fact, the sports games that came for free with the Wii are more exercise, less misleading, less insulting, less dangerous, and certainly more fun.
Rating: 1 / 5

Wish there were more options but it’s really fun and can be addictive.

I barely use it but my wife does use it a log.
Rating: 4 / 5

It’s fun, but even normal weight kids are told they are heavier than they should be. I don’t want my 8 year old getting this message time and time again. It focuses on rubbing in what you don’t want to hear when you’re working out. Nagging people about their weight has never helped ANYONE lose weight permanently! And again, when my kid’s friends come over to use it, it tells them their bodies are less than they should be. Shame on Nintendo for not seeing how wrong this is. We are raising a nation of kids who are not just unhealthy on the outside, but who are learning to hate themselves and feel they are not good enough. It’s not worth the bucks, not to mention the regular Wii is more fun. Save your $ and go ride a bike instead.
Rating: 2 / 5