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The Effects of the Wii on Children

Since the Wii was first sold in stores in 2006, children from around the world have become more physically active playing its games. Thanks to the Wii's digital sensors, which allow physical exertion when playing a game, the benefits of physical exercise might seem a given. But various media reports have noted some negatives and, conversely, the positive effects of the Wii.

The Problem of "Wii Elbow"
- Time magazine reported in February 2007 that The Wall Street Journal did a study on the physical effects of the Wii on children. Coining the term "Wii elbow," The Wall Street Journal said that the continuous use of one arm to mimic a tennis serve, a bowling serve or baseball pitch on "Wii Sports" was causing sore arms and backaches in many children. However, Nintendo said at the time that it hadn't received any complaints from anyone saying the Wii games were causing soreness.
  
  In 2009, News Blaze mentioned a lawsuit being filed by a Beverly Hills, California, man named Michael Torchia against Nintendo for promoting the idea that the Wii was beneficial for physical exercise. The lawsuit states that kids were forgoing real exercise and spending longer hours playing the Wii. New Blaze also reported that 10 injuries a week from children were being treated in U.K. hospitals because of overuse of the Wii.
Few Calories Burned
- In December 2007, WebMD reported on a U.K. study that tested how many calories kids burn when playing Wii Sports. During the study, 11 children between the ages of 13 and 15 who were active in real sports were applied with testing devices to see how many calories they burned playing an active Wii game. The study ultimately determined that the kids burned far fewer calories playing on the Wii than if they were out playing real sports.
Helping Kids with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy
- Time's 2007 report cited some positive examples of what the Wii could potentially do for children. For those with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (a condition that causes paralysis on one side), a Toronto study showed that the Wii could potentially help this condition. The thought was that by using the paralyzed side of the body on active video games like those for the Wii, the use of the weak side could be as good as physical therapy. An undergraduate engineering student from the University of Toronto devised a game console that allows children with HCP to push a button on a console with their dominant hand and then play an active game like the Wii with the weak hand.
Weight Loss with the Wii
- Despite the U.K. report from WebMD noting that kids don't burn as many calories with a Wii as they do playing real sports, Time cited a Mayo Clinic study that says the weight loss can still be significant. When compared to playing hand-held video games, the Wii was said to help children burn three times as many calories. A computer programmer from Philadelphia named Mickey DeLorenzo backed up the finding by losing a considerable amount of weight as a result of playing the Wii for 30 minutes every day.

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