The Wii - A Knockout

They say if you want to know anything about technology, ask a teenager.

Enter my nephew. I told him I'd like to get into some gaming and exercise.

Yesterday he lent me his Nintendo Wii. I strapped on a brace, pushed the controller into it and played the game Wii Sports.

I tried out the tennis game first. (Big surprise there, eh?) I was able to play that, although I wasn't very accurate. I could serve easily by just swinging. It was more difficult to hit the ball back in bounds, but I can't say yet whether I'll be able to master that.

Then I tried out boxing. This was definitely a quad-friendly game. To play this, you have to hold both a Wii controller and the nunchuck, so I attached both to my hands. Once I had done that, boxing on the Wii was easy. It consists mostly of punching movements, requiring no dexterity. Not only was it fun, but a pretty good workout. Getting K.O.'s was a real blast.

I couldn't play bowling at all. The movements just weren't happening. Baseball wasn't much of a go either.

Golf may be another game I can play. I had some success with that by just limiting my "strokes" to one basic move across my body and using gravity to bring my arm up and across my chest. This wasn't effective at some points in the game, but I managed to experiment with it enough to complete holes.

That's the wonder of the Wii. There really aren't any rules. As long as the game picks up your movement, you can play with the function you have. And, other than reports of some shoulder injuries or discomfort from overuse, the Wii is being used as a rehab tool without any concerns, so it seems to be a safe way to get exercise, stretch out and have some fun.

My nephew left it here for the weekend. I'm definitely going to work on my boxing skills. Next week? A bout in Las Vegas....

Playing video games - with your eyes

For those interested in adaptive gaming, Waterloo labs has devised a way to play Super Mario with eye movements. Check it out in the video below.



You might also want to check out AbleGamers for more information about adaptive and accessible gaming.