Dear Reader:
Wii talk in AARP magazine
Reader Dakaggo came across a Wii article in the Sept/Oct issue of AARP magazine. The article isn’t online, so he was nice enough to transcribe it for us!
Vicki Schultz used to shake her head in disgust when her kids sat around playing video games. Now, every Virtual Bowling Night at Giovan’s restaurant in Crest Hill, Illinois, 56-year-old Vicki is the one hurling an imaginary ball down a video screen alley…and celebrating her high score with high fives all around.
Folks 50 and over make up 25 percent of video gamers and they’re discovering Nintendo’s unique new system, called Wii, which requires players to stand up and control the action onscreen by swinging the game’s controller in one hand. For video tennis, they simulate a nasty forehand.For baseball, they swing an invisible bat. And for bowling they take three steps, rear back, and let’er rip.
The big bonus of the Wii craze isn’t just social; the games are good for you. The International Sports Sciences Association says all that swinging of virtual tennis rackets and golf clubs may have cardiovascular benefits for older folks who can no longer hit the real courts and links.