Wii Sports vs. actual sports

Let’s face it; not all of us are going to be picked in the National Football League amateur draft or be a starting pitcher in the World Series. That is why many people have turned to video games to fill their need for sports without having to worry about making the cut on a team.

When the Nintendo Wii came out in 2006, people were ecstatic about the new motion controls that Nintendo had given us. The controls were shown beautifully through one of the current best-selling video game of all time Wii Sports. This allows people to play sports like tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing in a whole new way. Instead of using a controller stick and buttons to play these games, players simulate the action of swinging a bat, a golf club or a tennis racket, along with throwing a bowling ball or a punch. This completely changed gaming, as we knew it. Now the question is, did Wii Sports create a new interest in people who didn’t like sports before?

I can say for myself that Wii Sports did not change my view on sports at all because I already loved to play the sports the game simulates. However, many people play the game as a way to keep in shape instead of playing a real sport. The problem with this is that running the bases will burn more calories than pretending to swing a bat. That is just the cruel truth.

Am I saying you should trade in your video game console for a tennis racket and sweatband? Not quite. You can still have fun playing video games while taking up a sport. I recommend trying a new sport to find something that interests you, and then in your spare time, pull out the game controller and play an interactive game that makes you move to burn extra calories. By doing this, you are not only getting interested in a different sport, but also getting in shape while still being able to play video games.