Wii Would Like To Play (Around)

Nintendo's Wii has a customizable character feature called Mii. You can use it to create an internet portable avatar of yourself for use in Mii compatible games such as Wii Tennis. You can also review the history of where your Mii has been.

A man has recently reported using his Wii's Mii history to catch his cheating wife (his original letter to the GoNintendo message boards is here). He discovered that his spouse's Mii had been spending nights Wii Bowling with another man's Mii.

I'm not sure how authentic this story is, and if it is, of course I feel badly for the guy, but, it's a funny outcome of a too-cute technology.

If you're so inclined, you can make your own Mii here (there are quite a few of these sites out there). Just be careful if you decide to use it for late night rendezvous with a secret digital lover.

Wiiitis

That which was feared has transpired (That sounds Old Testament dramatic in recognition of Shirley Phelps being arrested for child endangerment.). The glorious Wii is giving couch potatoes a kind of tennis elbow:

• Physician documents his own case of 'Wiiitis'

• Wiiitis is a sore shoulder from playing too much Wii tennis

• Wiiitis treatment: Take ibuprofen for one week, no playing Wii

• Physician suggests Wii moderation but knows "it's hard to do"

I still want one. :) I'm holding off until I make reach some research related milestones.

A Wii bit of Cooking

I love video games and all, but I don't see myself spending time virtual cooking. There's a new game for the Nintendo Wii, "Cooking Mama: Cook Off" that allows a player to cook virtually rather than in their own kitchen. It's a Wii spin-up off of the celebrate (Who knew?) DS title, "Cooking Mama."

At first glance, I thought, "How nice, it's obviously to teach girls about their proper roles in the kitchen." But, the Nintendo news letter isn't pushing it that way (Yes, I get the Nintendo newsletter):

Women love a man who can cook. Even if you're not a wiz[sic] in the kitchen, you can whip up a virtual feast using the Wii Remote in Cooking Mama: Cook Off.

Damn, the more I research this, the more I'm interested in trying the game. If a virtual emergency surgery game can be cool, why not a cooking game? I didn't think the DS system would go anywhere either. What do I know?

Here are some action shots I found at IGN.

You get to practice basic techniques:


And if you do a good job:

Wii Dangerous to Couch Potatoes, Fiancees, and Pets?

This is too funny:

In Rochester, Minn., Jeremy Scherer and his wife spent three hours playing tennis and bowling, two of the games included with the Wii. Mr. Scherer says he managed to improve his scores -- at the cost of shoulders and back that were still aching the next day. "I was using muscles I hadn't used in a while," says Mr. Scherer, a computer programmer who describes himself as "not very active." Mr. Scherer is vowing nightly "Wii workouts" to get in better shape.

Another hazard: collisions. All those flailing arms can sometimes inadvertently smack into lamps, furniture and even competing players. IGN.com, a popular site that reviews videogames, said one player testing the Wii lost her grip and sent the controller flying into a wall. Blaine Stuart of Rochester, N.Y., mistakenly whacked his fiancée, Shelly Haefele, while playing tennis and also accidentally hit his dog while bowling.

This quote is priceless. I love this spokesperson:

Perrin Kaplan, a spokeswoman from Nintendo, says the company hasn't received complaints from any gamers about soreness. "It was not meant to be a Jenny Craig supplement," she says. "If people are finding themselves sore, they may need to exercise more." She says that while it might be more fun to play the games more aerobically, it's possible to play without leaving the couch.

My God, I have to get the Wii. I love that a medium partly responsible for a generation of couch potatoes may facilitate better health. I am a member of the original Nintendo console generation. I logged many hours in front of the TV playing Zelda, Mario Brothers, and every other title I could get my hands on. It would have been great to get some exercise while fighting Ganon or Bowser.