Wii Fit tagged with an expensive, undeserved bill
by Phil Larsen 
{ Jun 16th 2008 at 12:30PM }
A poll from the UK insurance firm Sheilas' Wheels analyzed the exercise habits of women, and the potential disaster area that has become their homes. Despite the initial "ZOMG Wii Fit destruction!" outcry from the mass media, the details of the poll really don't have much to do with Nintendo at all.The general response criticizes massive damage caused by these women knocking over junk as they worked out on Wii Fit. On average, £6.55 per person was the estimated dollar (that is, pound) value of destruction, or a whopping £20 million worth total. Wii Fit, you've got some 'splaining to do!
Or, not. Wii Fit isn't responsible for the damage at all, and the original release from Sheilas' Wheels merely mentions the popularity of Wii Fit and Nintendo in general -- then immediately states the most popular home exercise method is watching an instructional video or DVD. Sure, the Wii has been responsible for some breakages in the past, but tacking the £20 million sum anywhere near the Balance Board is just poor form. Read over the official Sheilas' Wheels news article before subscribing to the Wii Fit Angry Mob newsletter.
Finally, the results explain that the survey was conducted to gather home damage estimates over the past year. Wii Fit has only been out in the UK for a month. The math doesn't add up, and a genuine attempt to gather information on home exercise routines has been misrepresented. Besides, if Wii Fit was solely to blame, what have the women been doing to smash up their stuff during the 11 months before it was released? If you guessed cleaning the kitchen, sewing and baking cookies for the men, you would be correct.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kat @ Jun 16th 2008 12:46PM
That is really asinine. I mean, even if the booklet that comes with the game didnt explain that you should take care in setting up your gamespace (removing items that could tip over such as floorlamps, tables, placing yourself far enough from walls, etc...), its just common sense.
Bad Mojo @ Jun 16th 2008 3:15PM
Plus the gajillion in-game warnings when you;re about to do something that might cause this.
It tells you lean on something if you can;t handle it and to make sure there is more than enough space for your* fat ass to fall down in.
*Used in the general sense :)
TriptychR @ Jun 16th 2008 6:01PM
Oh, poo! I know I shouldn't have played Wii Fit next to my Ming vases and Fabrege egg!