An innocent Nintendo game about balance and fitness is probably the last product that would ever come to mind when you think about video game controversy, but Nintendo's popular Wii Fit (which went on sale in Europe in late April and is launching in the U.S. on May 19) has prompted some experts to question Nintendo's methods for measuring body weight and fitness.
A report in the U.K. paper Daily Mail highlighted an incident in which a 10-year-old girl was told by the Wii Fit software that she's "fat." The girl was very upset to be told that and the parents were none too pleased.
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A famous video game creator for Japanese video game giant Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, demonstrates how to use the new fitness video game on the new balancing board controller for the company's video game console Wii in Chiba, suburban Tokyo, 10 October 2007. Nintendo will launch the new fitness video game softwarer WiiFit including the balancing board controller on 01 December.
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A famous video game creator for Japanese video game giant Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, demonstrates how to use the new fitness video game on the new balancing board controller for the company's video game console Wii in Chiba, suburban Tokyo, 10 October 2007. Nintendo will launch the new fitness video game softwarer WiiFit including the balancing board controller on 01 December.
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images
The famous video game creator for Japanese video game giant Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, displays the new balancing board controller for the company's video game console Wii in Chiba, suburban Tokyo, 10 October 2007. Nintendo will launch a new fitness video game software WiiFit, including the balancing board controller on 01 December.
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images
The famous video game creator for Japanese video game giant Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, displays the new balancing board controller for the company's video game console Wii in Chiba, suburban Tokyo, 10 October 2007. Nintendo will launch a new fitness video game software WiiFit, including the balancing board controller on 01 December.
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images
Tokyo, JAPAN: Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto displays the remote control of the new video game console 'Wii' at a press preview in Tokyo. Nintendo recalled 3.2 million wrist straps for its new Wii console ,15 December 2006, after reports of enthusiastic users inadvertently sending the motion-sensing controller crashing into their TV screens.
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images
Tokyo, JAPAN: Japan's video game giant Nintendo game creator Shigeru Miyamoto (L), known as the father of Super Mario, and President Satoru Iwata playing a tennis game during a demonstration at a press conference in Tokyo. The Japanese electronic game maker Nintendo said Friday 15 December 2006 it was not recalling motion-sensing controllers for its new Wii model but would exchange wrist straps that have broken inadvertently. 'Nintendo is not recalling wrist straps furnished with the motion-sensing remote control unit for its new computer game Wii,' the company said in a French-language statement received in Paris.
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Nintendo's Wii Games Console To Go On Sale In Europe
TOKYO - DECEMBER 7: Nintendo president Satoru Iwata (R) and software creator Shigeru Miyamoto (L) demonstrate game Wii during a press conference on December 7, 2006 in Tokyo, Japan. Wii will go on sale on December 8 in Europe.Junko Kimura/Getty Images
Nintendo's Wii Games Console To Go On Sale In Europe
TOKYO - DECEMBER 7: Nintendo president Satoru Iwata (L) and software creator Shigeru Miyamoto (R) present the Wii game console during a press conference on December 7, 2006 in Tokyo, Japan. Wii will go on sale on December 8 in Europe.Junko Kimura/Getty Images
Nintendo's Wii Games Console To Go On Sale In Europe
TOKYO - DECEMBER 7: Nintendo president Satoru Iwata (L) and software creator Shigeru Miyamoto (R) present the company's new remote games console, Wii, during a press conference on December 7, 2006 in Tokyo, Japan. Wii will go on sale on December 8 in Europe.Junko Kimura/Getty Images
Tokyo, JAPAN: Japan's video game giant Nintendo President Satoru Iwata (L) and the company's game creator Shigeru Miyamoto, known as father of Super Mario, shows a controler from Nintendo's new video game console 'Wii' at a press conference in Tokyo 07 December 2006. Nintendo said 15 December 2006 that it will recall 3.2 million hand straps for its new Wii games console after reports of users inadvertently throwing the motion-sensing controller into their TV screens.
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images
"She is a perfectly healthy, 4ft 9in tall 10-year-old who swims, dances and weighs only six stone," said the father. "She is solidly built but not fat. She was devastated to be called fat and we had to work hard to convince her she isn't. I know it is just a game but we already have to worry about young girls starving themselves to look like magazine models and now we have a game that tells them they're fat. This to me is very worrying."
It's apparently worrying to Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum as well. In Wii Fit after a player enters his/her height, the software uses BMI to measure body fat based on an adult's height and weight. Fry, however, thinks the measurement is misleading and he'd like to see children banned from playing the game.
"I'm absolutely aghast that children are being told they are fat," he said. "BMI is far from perfect but with children it simply should not be used. A child's BMI can change every month and it is perfectly possible for a child to be stocky, yet still very fit. I would be very concerned if children were using this game and I believe it should carry a warning for parents."
For its part, Nintendo acknowledged that it's not the most accurate tool for children to measure body fat and the company apologized. "Nintendo would like to apologize to any customers offended by the in-game terminology used to classify a player's current BMI status, as part of the BMI measurement system integrated into Wii Fit," a company rep said. "Wii Fit is still capable of measuring the BMI for people aged between two and 20 but the resulting figures may not be entirely accurate for younger age groups due to varying levels of development."
Reader Comments (525)
no child left behind was supposed to be in the last terms.......
We cannot blame the child for getting hurt.. It's a child.. The parents shouldn't bought this game in the first place. It's not because they stated that it is a WII FIT meaning it would perfectly give you a great body.. It's just a game that needs to be enjoyed. Be thankful to Shigeru Miyamoto because He created this game... what a genius!!!!
well ... on that note.... i have worked with kids for 24 years in a psych facility...... parents ....for the most part, reward their children with food...." i will bring you mc donald's....('to make up for me trying to get you help' ) take the guilt off.... where there is no guilt ...some of the time ....but to shift the focus!
:P
I hope they're not parents either.....they are all over making fun of this kid and her parents, but cant figure out how to post their comment only ONCE?
or parents of overweight children need to get a grip on the real problem...... it is not the game causing the self esteem issue!!!!!!!!!! just bringing it to the forfront if it is an issue!???
She's not fat... she's bigboned.. :P How can a child at an early age have a problem on their eyes? It's a GAME you loser.. It's something to be enjoyed off and not to tell your parents that "Nintendo called me fat,,, huhuhu..." What a loser..
Way too much on this..... a GAME!!!! Maybe way too many games????
omg, people have got to stop blaming games, magazines, videos for their poor parenting. im so sick of people ruining the fun we have in our lives. its a game!!! on the Wii fitness when im told iam 56 which iam not i dont freak out and cry....
I dont know what the big deal is if somebody is gonna put a video game out there so kids can play it and get exercise from it lets go. These kids now a days dont do the things I did when I ws a kid. Like go to the park and play ball, or just ride your bike everywhere you wanted to go. Just let them play it and get the exercise they need, even though its from a video game.there isnt another game they can play and get the work out they should be getting.