Mr. Miyamoto designed WiiFit on the concept of interaction. He thought that games weren't interactive-enough to attract a wide audience; the wide audience that Nintendo's been trying to win back since the days of the NES. He also thought that interactive motion-sensitive control would make games healthier than the "plant-it-and-play" standard control. The idea was introduced with Wii Sports, and pursued with WiiFit. Wii Sports has the most underwhelming graphics I've seen in any "next-Gen" title to date, but at least it's a game. Aside from the unlocking, WiiFit is more of a simulation than a game (and a pretty lame one at that). It looks like Mr. Miyamoto designed the simulation to make us "healthier," but not all of us (people who play games) are fat, lazy, unmotivated slobs who don't exercise. There are a lot of us out there who play games and go to the gym. Yes, I know for some this may be hard to believe, but we exist. Is Nintendo really saying that we aren't fit and healthy? Was WiiFit really aimed at us to make us healthier? Maybe, but not quite...

An article I ran across on Gamasutra.com said that "Wii Fit shouldn't be viewed as a complete weight-loss solution on its own," and I couldn't agree more. Nothing beats a hard-core workout followed by a protein shake afterwards, and this is an itch that WiiFit can't scratch. It is not the substitution for standard cardiovascular exercises that people think it is. Now we got every lazy bastard in the world thinking they know something about fitness just because they wasted a bill on a farce. I will out-lift, outrun, and outplay any of these assholes who think they know something just because they got WiiFit. I am not playing. Why? Because I passed gym class without the fucking grade curve, that's why.

Like this asshole at work; he comes in one day and says, "I got a Wii now." I congratulated him (when I thought he actually bought a game for it), but immediately retracted once he told me it was "with WiiFit." This is the same motherfucker who used to like games, but changed and claimed they were for "nerds and geeks" when I told him about Resident Evil 4 Wii edition. So now, he's back into games not only because everyone else is doing it (again), but because everyone else also thinks that overnight weight-loss comes in a box. The funny thing is that he thinks WiiFit will fix the years and years of neglect that he put his body through. He's under the uneducated impression that a single peripheral holds the power to rid him of the cancer he got from proud chain-smoking.

It just doesn't seem like it will turn already unhealthy, lazy blobs into anything more than sweatier, mislead blobs. WiiFit is not weight-loss in a box. Weight-loss doesn't come in boxes. It's not easy, either, which is what Nintendo is selling this on. And who wouldn't? People are so lazy these days that they'll do anything to avoid effort. And WiiFit has proven just that. It's possible Mr. Miyamoto designed this game to make for more interaction (as he's said in interviews), but I can't help but think that it was aimed more at the gullible and lazy. How about leaving the house and doing some real exercise (like pumping iron at the gym)? God forbid should we do anything that takes any sort of effort. What's next? A game with a peripheral that eats, drinks, and even has sex for me? I'll be damned if some peripheral gets to eat that awesome pizza or do my girlfriend before I do...

WiiFit plays on the idea of "weight loss in a pill," but in this case it's more like "weight-loss in a box." The former usually comes in the form of a diuretic that makes you piss like a racehorse, while the latter comes in the form of a peripheral that makes you think you're getting a complete workout. The "game" may have variety (which is good), but I'm still not buying the idea of it being a "comprehensive workout." The Gamasutra.com article also talks about calculation errors in determining BMI and such, which sounds dangerous enough to be detrimental to the health of the user(s). A related example of this is boxing in Wii Sports, which some users complain of overexertion to the point of sickness. Theoretically, a mistaken BMI reading could lead to overexertion (having similar affects on the body).

I go to the gym regularly, I run and play sports when I can, and I am substance-free. But even with me, it takes work to stay in shape. I'm starting to get a gut now, so it's up to me (and only me) to get back into my sit-up regimen again. A peripheral in a box won't do all of the work for me. I am the only one who can do the exercise needed to sustain my health (in its entirety). True, some people are born with more muscular bodies than others (Arnold is an example), but either way a fit body takes work. Everyone wants to be fit, but who's actually willing to do what it takes to be fit? Judging by the sales of WiiFit, not enough.