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Not Really Sure What Wii Will Do With It...

>> Monday, October 13, 2008

Doug's brother gave him a Wii...

To be honest I'm not really thrilled. In fact, I was kind of proud that we had no game systems in our home. And now we have one...

I'm not a fan of video games and I really don't want my girls to spend hours in front of the TV playing games.

So, those of you who love the Wii... Tell me why I should hook this thing up. What's out there that isn't mind numbing? Other then the Fit, which I hear is great. What about educational stuff? Also, I hear that you can download games? Is that true?

C'mon, tell me about this thing that has come into my possession...

8 comments:

Heather 11:23 PM  

Wii just got one this weekend also. :) My kids saved up money to pay for half of it. I have talked to many people that say it is a great family activity and not just twiddling a joystick. It's not hooked up yet, but will have time limits, just like tv.

Sally 5:12 AM  

I've never been big on video games either, and I bucked against the Wii...but I LOVE it! We played it over the summer at my sister's house, and it was such fun family time. We played bowling...in the living room...without all the smoke of an alley...and had just as much fun as we would at the bowling alley. And golf and tennis and baseball. And guess what?? We were sweating! And laughing and having fun, and not sitting down staring blankly at the TV at all!

I think it will give you more chances to have fun family time, in the comfort of your home. Let us know how you like it. And if you decide NOT to hook it up, let me know, maybe I can buy it off you. =)

lila 6:09 AM  

Hey Jodi,
I am not a fan of the whole video game scene either but everyone around me is.

The gaming systems out there now, like the WII, are basically computers.
My 3 brothers would take one night a week and play together even though they are spread out over the country.

My grandkids have the PlayStation. But they prefer to be outside or with friends.
I know they have invested in some educational games and one year for Christmas I got them a dance game and its amazing how good they get. Talk about exercise! When its 20 below--well you get the picture.

Video Games and their machines are like anything else--whether they end up a good thing or a bad thing is up to the user.

I come from a family of gamers and by that I mean. Scrabble,chess,sharades, monoply, Gin etc.....
In fact my last weekend with my mom was spent playing Gin with her--a favorite game going all the way back to my great grandmother. She loved to play and was always trying to get me to sit down with her and play--I am so happy I did. Ok--sorry that has nothing to do with anything.

My point was the advent of video games seemed like nothing more than a natural extention of what the family already does.

If you notice the key word in my way too long coment is family. For us--games whether they be video, board or cards are a family affair which is a good thing.

With all the fancy games out there--My 10 yr old GD and I have a running scrabble game every week.
No video game could replace that for her.

Tamara B 10:16 AM  

J, they're horrible, I think you should sell it to the Conservative DVM...

No, really, we liked it. Ryan loves video games and I hate them. But while on vacation in CA, we played the Wii several times at my cousin's. It was fun and we had a blast. With that said, you can also play the Wii without the exercise, I learned quickly how to box without hardly moving. I do think it would be fun for exercise though. I hate the treadmill but I might get up earlier if it was more entertaining like dancing or the Fit.

If you sell it, let us know BEFORE you put it on CraigsList :)

Chris, Renae & Annie 1:43 PM  

We love ours! We love to entertain and it is so fun to have guests box each other and play tennis and do teams on Big Brain Academy. Chris has downloaded several older Nintendo games. We also love Super Mario Smash Bros - it's awesome as a party game. Rayman's Raving Rabbits is fun too. I've gotten Chris a couple of solo player games too which he likes. We don't and have never had any other gaming systems but the Wii is really fun. And even without the Fit, you can get your heart rate up by boxing and playing tennis.

Nichole 4:09 PM  

I grew up in a gaming family (and by gaming I mean Atari, Nintendo, Sega, PS, etc) and I am still a gamer to this day (when I have time). We bought the Wii when it first came out and it is AWESOME! I honestly don't really like regular gaming any more. There are LOTS of educational games. Of course, you CAN get games that don't involve exercise but many of them get you up on your feet. We always play together as a family and like other commentors said, it is a great entertaining tool.

As far as downloading games...YES, you can! (forgive me for sounding like Obama there...yuk...) The system has a built-in wi-fi receiver, so you can play with people all over the world or download stuff. Anyway, I've written a book here but you MUST get started Wii-ing right away!

PS: some games I recommend are:

Big Brain Academy
Cooking Mama: cook off
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Wii Play
Tiger Woods 2008 PGA tour
Paper Mario (RPG-single player game)
Bowling
Super Mario vs. Sonic Olympic game (not the actual name, I can't think of it right now)

Kyle Lobner 5:07 PM  

Ok, if no one else wants to, I'll be the one who stands up for video games. :)

I grew up an only child, didn't really do much socially, had a small circle of friends, and was more or less raised by TV and video games.

Video games are just like any other entertainment media, like TV, books, even friends, really. There are some good things out there, things that make people's lives better like the Wii Fit, things that are entertaining for everyone, like Wii Sports, and things that are more specialized. There are also things out there that might not be appropriate for your kids. The same thing is true of TV, things their friends may say or do, and any other activity they may engage in.

On the other side, though, here's something you don't hear very often: Video games teach problem-solving skills, and to a point creativity. I spent a fair amount of time as a kid trying to figure out how to get to the next level of something, how to put together the set of skills or items to get past a certain point, or just working on gathering and developing the expertise to get past a point that required a certain skill I didn't have yet. As a result, I learned critical thinking and determination. Those are skills you want your kids to have.

Now, I'm not suggesting you should pull them out of school and lock them in a room with a Wii everyday, but I am suggesting that video games, if used appropriately, aren't just mindless entertainment. They can teach your kids the skills that have served me well in the real world.

The Fritz Facts 12:48 PM  

I love our Wii. It isn't something we or the kids play everyday, but when we do, it is all together. The kids love the bowl, and have a great time ripping on their dad when they win.

I love it for the excercise part. We have Dance Dance Revolution, and talk about a cardio work out!! I am getting WiiFit from my in-laws for christmas, and I can't wait!!!

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