February 14, 2007: I don't even remember the first time I saw a video of the Nintendo Wii. Must have been some 6 months or one year back. I saw all those people waving those little Wiimotes at the TV, and imitating bowling and table tennis and boxing actions, and I thought, this could be interesting. Maybe I can finally do something interesting and lose some weight too.

I don't think many thought about the Nintendo Wii as a way to lsoe weight and increase fitness at that point in time. If someone had written about it, I would have noticed. I remember some writers worrying about how a new way of gaming, getting up and moving your body, may never get much of a fan following. How wrong they were - just look the demand for the Nintendo Wii in the US, and compare it to the PS3 and there you have your answers.

And a couple of months back, people taking started talking about sweating and getting a Wii elbow and spraining and whacking each other on the head etc playing Wii sports waving their Wii controllers around. Still nobody mentioned it specifically that this could be a neat way to gain some fitness. And now suddenly they all are out there, talking about it. Here is what The International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA)

Nintendo's Wii "may prove to be just what fitness experts are looking for to help their clients get more active".

Oooo. Neat. Me, here in India, without ever playing the Wii or even seeing it so far, could deduce that. I told my wife, but she just said that I was just looking for an excuse to buy it.

Anyway here is the example of someone who went about trying to get his fitness better by systematically and scientifically going about it.

Yea. Now, actually I get it why many are very skeptical about the Nintendo Wii as a fitness tool. There are many whose idea of playing a racing game is to do it on the keyboard. A gearshift is a couple of keystrokes, a punch is a keystroke, you accelerate by pressing the Up arrow... That is what gaming has always been, and that is what many probably want to do too. Give them a Wii, they will still laze around on the couch and make little poking motions with the Wii controller instead of getting up and throwing a few punches in the year. Guaranteed. Fat lot of fitness goodness Wii is going to do for them.

However, I feel that if given a chance, I would instantly opt for a driving wheel and pedals and gearshift for my Need for Speed racing games instead of the stupid A, Z and Up-Down arrow keys. Wii Tennis? Right up my alley. Who but a toolbox would want to play Wii Sports Tennis sitting down? So for me, a Nintendo Wii is what I need. Now, is there anyone in Delhi who can sell me one for Rs 15,000 or so? Please please...

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