Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

[Kirin]

It would be awesome to have my grandfather playing the Wii with me.

[Nixon]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

My grandfather was interested in it, but he's in his 80s, and not in the best physical condition. He watched us play a four player tennis match and then asked me about the system and the games. Aside from Wii sports, I'm not sure there are any other games he would actually play.

[tjoris9]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

My dad, who is 79, favors Shanghai Pocket for GBA. There's almost nothing else he plays. He's really not into action games, even puzzle games like Tetris and Dr. Mario, two of his old favorites, because his vision and reflexes aren't as good as they used to be.

You want a hero of elderly gaming, and don't mind a little profanity? Check out OGHC:
http://oghc.blogspot.com/

[Nixon]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

That lady is one of my heroes.

[Red Dragon]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

My grandfather plays computer games, mostly point n' click adventure games, but those are fun too anyhow

[Misty]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

I remember my dad playing one game of Terra Cresta at a pizza place. After getting shot down in less than 4 minutes, he never touched a video game again

I'm glad the Wii has such a positive impact on senior citizens, though.

[Wavelength]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

It's a very social thing and it's good exercise ... and you don't have to throw a 16-pound bowling ball to get results,"

It's only as social as the real thing under ideal conditions (which happen, though uncommonly), it's not very good exercise at all (with a very few exceptions which seniors probably wouldn't be playing anyhow), and yes, it does tend to be much lower-impact than real activity, though at the cost of using sometimes-unnatural motions that can wear out your joints.

I don't see the Wii as a good substitute for getting outside and doing some exercise... DDR has it completely beat in that category, for most people... I suppose maybe the Wii might motivate people to move around a bit, but that would be akin to Guitar Hero motivating people to work on their hand-eye coordination.

If anything, the article gets it right in that the communities might see the most benefits of using the Wii for nurturing relationships and keeping the body from atrophy. But the article gives no facts or statistics whatsoever about how many senior communities are using Wiis--and I've got a feeling it's a LOT less than the article would lead you to believe.

[Valkysas]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

meh, its letting people bowl and play tennis who had to stop years ago. it's making them happy. it's giving them something to do.

thats what matters.

[Dusk Raven]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

Wii Sports is pretty popular at my house... even Grandma played it when she came down (or is it up? She's southeast from my state) for a visit.

[jvrlopez]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

My grandfather used to play the Atari back in his day.

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

lol maybe i should buy my grandparents a wii.

who would of thought such an innovative system would clean house like this? nintendo really stuck gold, perhaps this is what they needed to recapture their old market dominance?

i agree with valk on this one. any senior who isnt able to withstand a full game of bowling can easily do so with a wii, pausing the game when they need to relax.

[Denmo]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

At least it's not just exercising your thumb.

[Wavelength]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

meh, its letting people bowl and play tennis who had to stop years ago. it's making them happy. it's giving them something to do.

thats what matters.

Very true; making them happy--and possibly fostering communication and friendship--is great. And for those who don't have the strength to throw an 8-lb. bowling ball or stand the recoil of hitting a ball with a racquet, there's no better way to get the sports experience, except maybe to play a traditional video game or help coach a kid's team.

I'm just saying that I consider Wii Sports to be a very good video game, not a substitute for (or even a supplement to) exercise, and if you're playing it alone, it's not going to help you socialize (whereas going alone to a bowling alley MAY).

I don't know for sure, but I'd hazard the guess that a large majority of people who can make the appropriate motions to play Wii golf could also get out there and play a round of Par-3 golf. For those who can't, that makes Wii golf one of the coolest things around... but it also makes Tiger Woods PGA Tour for the XBOX a great pick.

And that I think the "trend," while beneficial if true, might be a bit of an artificial construction. Any thoughts on that?

[Valkysas]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

a lot of people (like me) prefer the controls of the Wii when it comes to sports games because it mimics the actual game. in real golf, you swing a club. in a Wii golf game, you swing the remote. on any other system, you push a button. The Wii actually mimics the real life experience better than the other consoles. this is a huge reason why people who arent usually into video games are loving the system.

[Wavelength]

Re: Wii's Success in Senior Citizen Communities

a lot of people (like me) prefer the controls of the Wii when it comes to sports games because it mimics the actual game. in real golf, you swing a club. in a Wii golf game, you swing the remote. on any other system, you push a button. The Wii actually mimics the real life experience better than the other consoles. this is a huge reason why people who arent usually into video games are loving the system.

Hmmm, good point--I did underplay how nifty the tactile feel is when I was making my argument.

I guess when they bring a full golf game to the Wii, if implemented correctly it will be incredible. Heck, maybe bowling games can actually be... well... good. I sure have a lot of fun when I play 4-player Wii Bowling at my friends' place--though I tend to get lower scores in Wii Bowling as opposed to real bowling; my "natural stroke" ends up releasing the Wii-ball at very low speed. That's my own ineptitude, of course, but it just goes to show that it doesn't work for everyone, at least not at first.

It's kind of in-between traditional video games and the real thing, although sometimes the best motions in the Wii are somewhat unlike the motions you'd use in real-life activities. (And as for those "creative uses" for the Wiimote, maybe that's a good thing ) Will that get a lot more seniors to play the Wii? Maybe.