Unbe*Wii*vable

I have never really been a video game person. Sure, I dabbled in Mario Brothers on the Super Nintendo System when I was in elementary school (shut up - I know I'm old! ;-) ), but never really thought much about spending hours on end on a video game console. I watched other people get so engrossed that they lost hours of their time trying to get through different levels of games - and laughed. Laughed at the thought that someone could be so entertained and enthralled by something on their video screen that hours, sometimes days, could go by without them even batting an eyelash. I scoffed at the sheer cost of a single game. "How could someone pay that much for a video game?" I thought to myself. More than once. It seemed so incomprehensible to me that people would find video games so valuable that they would pay upwards of $50 for a single game.

Then IT happened. We got a Wii. All I can say is "wow." We spent a couple of hours over the past few days playing Wii sports. So much so that I woke up on Tuesday with sore shoulders and arms from throwing the controller around like an idiot. And I loved it. The Wii has completely changed my opinion of video games. I now understand how someone could become so addicted to a game that they could forego social interactions, food, sleep, and personal grooming habits all to sit in front of a video game console. Except with the Wii, there's no sitting. At least not for me. I'm on my feet jumping up and down, punching at an animated opponent, swinging an imaginary tennis racquet, and bowling a better game in Wiilife than I ever could in real life. (Bt the way, the word "Wiilife" didn't show up as wrong spelling on the spell checker!).

Next thing you know, I'm running out to my local enterainment chain to buy the WiiFit and Rock Band. That was the most amount of money I've spent in 15 minutes than I ever have in my life. I've become one of those people.

Ironically enough, when the Wii first came out I was totally against it. I thought it was ridiculous that a video game would have people simulate perfectly good activities that can be done in real life. I thought, "go outside and play tennis!" I now understand. I am horrible at tennis in real life, but on the Wii, I can actually volley. On the Wii, I can pretend like I'm freakin' Venus Williams. And no one has to know any different. ;-)

I haven't yet played the Wii enough such that I forgot what time of day it was. Or forgot to eat. I hope for my own personal sake I never get to that point. I suspect, as long as the Wii can't simulate rock climbing or bike riding, I never will. But I have a new appreciation for the benefits to my health by using the Wii (seriously, did I just type that?). Instead of sitting on my butt watching TV, I'm on my feet and using at least one of my arms actively. And hopefully, I can supplement my activity (or lack thereof) with the WiiFit and actually get some benefits of that too. I wonder if anyone has done scientific research about the health benefits of using the Wii? I'm sure they have.

Well there you have it. A video game convert. Me. I think I just saw a pig fly by my window. ;-)