(no subject)
So during my random Wikipedia wanderings today, I stumbled upon the Wikipedia article for Wii Fit, which so happens to be my obsession of the year. And I have to say, some of the reviews for the game made me kind of angry, mostly because some of these game reviewers seem to be under the impression that they are fitness gurus. Excuse me, but I can guarantee that I work out and eat healthier than any of those couch potato bitches.
For example, the review at IGN says this:
"We believe that Nintendo made a misstep in relying solely on BMI to gauge weight loss success stories in Wii Fit -- the measurement was never designed to be utilized this way and the results are oftentimes misleading. If you stand 5'10" and weigh 150 pounds, your BMI will fall well within the standard and you will be labeled normal. However, the game doesn't account for different body structures and muscle mass. It merely measures your weight and assigns you a label. Fine, if you really are skinny or traditionally fit or even fine if you are truly obese. But what about all the people who already exercise on a regular basis and have greater muscle mass to show for it?"
Okay, this is flagrant misuse of a modern day urban legend. Repeat after me: MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT. Fat is bulkier and, in certain situations and certain cultures, can be considered less appealing to look at, but five pounds of muscle is still five pounds of muscle.
So while I agree that you should ideally discuss your BMI with a doctor if you're actually attempting to lose weight, I take issue with the theory that, in a full-grown adult, measuring one's BMI would somehow trick a perfectly healthy person into thinking they're fat. If you weigh too much for your height category, then you weigh too much, and being "big boned" or having a "large frame" doesn't really save you there. I think the IGN reviewer is confusing what's accepted as normal in America with what's healthy, and quite frankly, what is considered average in terms of fitness and weight in this country is not at all healthy. And to be honest, I think it's possible that some people- the kind of people who watch The Biggest Loser just so they can laugh nastily and say, "Well, that made me feel better about myself, because I'm not THAT unhealthy"- are just bitter because they don't want to face up to the fact that they are living a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle, and the Wii Fit puts that squarely in their faces.
Then there's Gamespot's review, which claims that "with the board able to take only 330lbs (150kg) maximum weight, [the Wii fit is] locking out the particularly robust from joining in on the Wii Fit fad." Um, if you weigh 330lbs, you're either 1) an NFL linebacker, or 2) in desperate need of a serious visit to the doctor. No video workout is going to help you if you're too heavy for the Wii fit, so don't bother. Instead, pick up a phone and get some serious medical help.
The review also claims that the game allows the possibility of cheating:
"But while the board is extremely sensitive when it comes to weight, it can't actually track what you're doing with your upper body. This means you can easily "cheat" your way through most of the exercises by simply shifting your weight to where Wii Fit indicates it should be. It's even easier to cheat in the few activities where you don't use the board at all. In jogging, you're supposed to either tuck the Wii Remote into a pocket or hold it in your hand while running on the spot, but you can achieve the same effect by simply waggling the Wii Remote."
Uh, guys? If you're cheating at a fitness game, you're 1) pathetic, or 2) deeply disturbed.
It's also funny how so many reviewers complain that the activities on the Wii Fit are not in and of themselves sufficient to cause major weight loss. Well, duh. NOTHING ON ITS OWN IS SUFFICIENT TO HELP YOU BECOME HEALTHY. If you have a Wii Fit and you really want to be healthy, you have to combine the exercises on the Wii Fit with a general increase in activity (taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking instead of driving, playing team sports or participating in dance classes) and a healthy diet. And, you see, the Wii Fit ACTUALLY SAYS THIS DURING THE COURSE OF THE GAME. It reminds players MULTIPLE times that, in order to truly live a healthy lifestyle, you have to make physical activity and healthy eating a part of your daily lifestyle. It also provides an activity log, which allows you to enter in how much exercise you've done outside the game so that the game can give you credit for it. The Wii Fit is merely intended to 1) introduce you to the multiple ways in which you can stimulate your muscles, and 2) replace your usual gaming time (which usually is spent sitting still on a couch for several hours in a row) with something that forces you to move about. It is not intended as a miracle weight loss program or a replacement for a personal fitness regiment.
Most annoying is this complaint from Gramespot:
"What's even more baffling is the lack of an option for players to create their own workout programs by stringing exercises together. That means you can't choose, let's say, four yoga, three muscle, and two aerobic exercises to create a tailored half-hour program. Instead, you'll have to select an activity using the Wii Remote, perform it, jump back into the main menu, select another activity, and so on. It's jarring, and certainly not the smooth workout experience many were probably expecting from Wii Fit."
GASP. You mean you actually have to spend five seconds on a menu in order to CHOOSE A NEW ACTIVITY? Oh, the horror. And what even sillier is, the Wii Fit program doesn't measure your progress by how long you spend on the game; it measures how long you actually spend doing activities, so taking those extra seconds to move between activities never throws off your workout time.
I think that, really, it's the tone of so many of these game reviewers that pissed me off- what, like you guys are fitness experts? I seem to recall many of you (I'm looking at you, IGN reviewer) mentioning spending upwards of eighteen hours straight on couches playing Zelda or Super Mario Bros. Honestly, I feel like some of these guys are just pissed that the video game system that shunned pure power for mass appeal ended up being so much more successful than the testosterone-packed X-Box360 or the repetitively-named Playstation 3.
The Wii is the best game system I've ever played, and Wii Fit is my favorite game for that system. To summarize: game reviewers may KISS MY PHYSICALLY FIT ASS.
For example, the review at IGN says this:
"We believe that Nintendo made a misstep in relying solely on BMI to gauge weight loss success stories in Wii Fit -- the measurement was never designed to be utilized this way and the results are oftentimes misleading. If you stand 5'10" and weigh 150 pounds, your BMI will fall well within the standard and you will be labeled normal. However, the game doesn't account for different body structures and muscle mass. It merely measures your weight and assigns you a label. Fine, if you really are skinny or traditionally fit or even fine if you are truly obese. But what about all the people who already exercise on a regular basis and have greater muscle mass to show for it?"
Okay, this is flagrant misuse of a modern day urban legend. Repeat after me: MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT. Fat is bulkier and, in certain situations and certain cultures, can be considered less appealing to look at, but five pounds of muscle is still five pounds of muscle.
So while I agree that you should ideally discuss your BMI with a doctor if you're actually attempting to lose weight, I take issue with the theory that, in a full-grown adult, measuring one's BMI would somehow trick a perfectly healthy person into thinking they're fat. If you weigh too much for your height category, then you weigh too much, and being "big boned" or having a "large frame" doesn't really save you there. I think the IGN reviewer is confusing what's accepted as normal in America with what's healthy, and quite frankly, what is considered average in terms of fitness and weight in this country is not at all healthy. And to be honest, I think it's possible that some people- the kind of people who watch The Biggest Loser just so they can laugh nastily and say, "Well, that made me feel better about myself, because I'm not THAT unhealthy"- are just bitter because they don't want to face up to the fact that they are living a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle, and the Wii Fit puts that squarely in their faces.
Then there's Gamespot's review, which claims that "with the board able to take only 330lbs (150kg) maximum weight, [the Wii fit is] locking out the particularly robust from joining in on the Wii Fit fad." Um, if you weigh 330lbs, you're either 1) an NFL linebacker, or 2) in desperate need of a serious visit to the doctor. No video workout is going to help you if you're too heavy for the Wii fit, so don't bother. Instead, pick up a phone and get some serious medical help.
The review also claims that the game allows the possibility of cheating:
"But while the board is extremely sensitive when it comes to weight, it can't actually track what you're doing with your upper body. This means you can easily "cheat" your way through most of the exercises by simply shifting your weight to where Wii Fit indicates it should be. It's even easier to cheat in the few activities where you don't use the board at all. In jogging, you're supposed to either tuck the Wii Remote into a pocket or hold it in your hand while running on the spot, but you can achieve the same effect by simply waggling the Wii Remote."
Uh, guys? If you're cheating at a fitness game, you're 1) pathetic, or 2) deeply disturbed.
It's also funny how so many reviewers complain that the activities on the Wii Fit are not in and of themselves sufficient to cause major weight loss. Well, duh. NOTHING ON ITS OWN IS SUFFICIENT TO HELP YOU BECOME HEALTHY. If you have a Wii Fit and you really want to be healthy, you have to combine the exercises on the Wii Fit with a general increase in activity (taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking instead of driving, playing team sports or participating in dance classes) and a healthy diet. And, you see, the Wii Fit ACTUALLY SAYS THIS DURING THE COURSE OF THE GAME. It reminds players MULTIPLE times that, in order to truly live a healthy lifestyle, you have to make physical activity and healthy eating a part of your daily lifestyle. It also provides an activity log, which allows you to enter in how much exercise you've done outside the game so that the game can give you credit for it. The Wii Fit is merely intended to 1) introduce you to the multiple ways in which you can stimulate your muscles, and 2) replace your usual gaming time (which usually is spent sitting still on a couch for several hours in a row) with something that forces you to move about. It is not intended as a miracle weight loss program or a replacement for a personal fitness regiment.
Most annoying is this complaint from Gramespot:
"What's even more baffling is the lack of an option for players to create their own workout programs by stringing exercises together. That means you can't choose, let's say, four yoga, three muscle, and two aerobic exercises to create a tailored half-hour program. Instead, you'll have to select an activity using the Wii Remote, perform it, jump back into the main menu, select another activity, and so on. It's jarring, and certainly not the smooth workout experience many were probably expecting from Wii Fit."
GASP. You mean you actually have to spend five seconds on a menu in order to CHOOSE A NEW ACTIVITY? Oh, the horror. And what even sillier is, the Wii Fit program doesn't measure your progress by how long you spend on the game; it measures how long you actually spend doing activities, so taking those extra seconds to move between activities never throws off your workout time.
I think that, really, it's the tone of so many of these game reviewers that pissed me off- what, like you guys are fitness experts? I seem to recall many of you (I'm looking at you, IGN reviewer) mentioning spending upwards of eighteen hours straight on couches playing Zelda or Super Mario Bros. Honestly, I feel like some of these guys are just pissed that the video game system that shunned pure power for mass appeal ended up being so much more successful than the testosterone-packed X-Box360 or the repetitively-named Playstation 3.
The Wii is the best game system I've ever played, and Wii Fit is my favorite game for that system. To summarize: game reviewers may KISS MY PHYSICALLY FIT ASS.