Is Wii for Kids? Hell-yeah!

Since I was a kid, I have always loved playing video games. I now have three of my own [kids] and don’t have the time I’d like to sit back and kick some virtual butt. We do own a Wii, however its mostly used for social get-togethers, guy nights, and sick days.

The kids are 4, 3, and 6 months – a little young for dedicated game playing. However, the older two boys do have a nasty arm for bowling and are just starting to catch up to the Wii pitchers 68 mile per hour fast ball. This weekend I introduced the boys to Wii boxing. I think it ended up being the mistake I thought it just may become.

Take away the desire to knock each other’s lights out sans-controller and it was actually a good excercise. The match started with some chuckling after the boys saw themselves and shouted “look daddy, i’m naked!” (they were in shorts, not the designer long-sleve plain colored wii clothing they were used to in the other games). Once they realized a swing with the right would create the others head to jerk back awkwardly (on screen) they had some fun and burned off some energy.

I think a good balance of exercise in gaming is important. This week will tell me if Wii boxing was the right game to get do so with. Allowing a little “wii” time with games that get them moving can be a good thing for kids, especially as the colder weather is right around the corner.

Wii Fit Plus is a new release (Fall 09) from Nintendo and includes several activities that are sure to appeal to a younger crowd with obstacle courses, skateboard parks, and even snowball fights. Wii Fit Plus looks like a great follow-up to Wii Fit. The price tag is $100, unless you already own Wii Fit where for 20 bucks you can just buy the new disk.