Here's a good editorial about Wii Fit.
It uses BMI (crap) to determine your goals and will give you weight-loss tips even if you enter "no change" in your weight loss preferences. Plus, once it measures your BMI (again, crap) it will change your Mii's body accordingly. And again, no matter what your enter as your goal, it will select a BMI (do I have to say it again? crap) goal for you. Apparently 22 is some sort of universal crap BMI magic number or something.
I wonder if it would give mine giant knockers. I mean, if it's trying to make your Mii's body more like yours...
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Monday, June 30, 2008
I Hate Judgmental Video Games
Sunday, May 11, 2008
I'd Be Upset With Nintendo If It Weren't For The Legend Of Zelda
Seriously, I've got two versions of the game going right now (DS and Wii). Yes, in my life, Zelda transcends principles. I mean, hello, I did name my dog after it.
Anyhoo.
By now we all know what Wii Fit is. If not, you can either click the Wikipedia link or read on.
It's an exercise based Nintendo Wii game. It comes with a balance board and you can do about 40 different activities, from yoga poses to push-ups to aerobics. Sounds cool, right? It would be if it didn't use the outdated BMI system to measure how "fit" or "fat" you are. And if it didn't focus its marketing for the game on women and young girls. 'Cause, you know, it's a really good idea to make women and young girls more aware and ashamed of their bodies.
Let me just go ahead and quote this article:
In keeping with the personal image theme, perhaps Nintendo can come out with a Wii [Bulimia] game, where you stick the Wii Remote down your throat and hop on the balance board.
I'm going to call it the Wii-ting Disorder. Brought to you by Shigeru Miyamoto.
I mean, come on, I'm all for getting in shape and being fit, but (1) BMI is a terrible way to measure it (it's a terrible way to measure anything, really, check out the BMI Project) and (2) the marketing campaign here does nothing but support the idiotic stereotype and misguided notion that thin = fit and fat = lazy/out of shape.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Roses Are Red, Nintendo Wii's Are Blue?
Here's a little something I found on Feminist Gamers: Best Buy held an event on March 30 called Wii for Women during which they gave away spa certificates as prizes.
I don't know about anyone else, but I didn't need spa prizes and pretty little giveaways to go get a Wii. All I needed was a Target ad that said "we have Wiis in stock" to get me to the store.
Women play video games. We don't need pedicures and facials and pretty little things to get us there.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Fat-Shaming: Always a Good Message to Send Video Game Loving Teens and Kids
Here's one I couldn't have come up with myself. A Japanese video game based on fat-shaming. Oh yeah.
The story:
"A young woman who was once svelte and lovely has binged on too many sweets and pastries. As a result of extreme indulgence, her waistline has blossomed and her weight has surpassed 220lbs (100kg). When she reaches her sophomore year in high school, her father decides to send her and her brother to live in an apartment building which is populated with boys. Lots of boys.
The young woman likes the boys but when she introduces herself and professes her interest, she's rejected because of her tremendous size. With the help of her brother and inner determination, she resolves to lose weight and become little Miss Popular. You are that young woman and your mission is weight loss by way of exercise, diet, and mini-games."
Because:
1. No man could ever love someone who is overweight.
2. 220 lbs is so unbelievably massive ("tremendous" even) and unheard of that we should all be appalled by that horrific number.
3. There are many high school sophomores sent away by their fathers to live in apartment buildings that are also populated by teenagers.
4. "Svelte" and "lovely" are only available together. One could never be chunky and lovely.
5. Weight is the ONLY thing that keeps someone from being popular.
Gag me.
What a great message to send to teenagers. Like young girls don't have enough body issues. I think I'll keep this one OUT of my Nintendo DS.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Princess Peach and Her Potential to Rock
I promise this is the last post recycled from an old blog. Pinky swear.
Super Princess Peach
That's right, folks. Princess Peach is the heroine of her own video game, available on Nintendo DS. She has to battle the typical villains of the Super Mario Bros. world in order to rescue both Mario and Luigi from the clutches of Bowser.
So what's wrong with that?
Nothing. The concept of this game is fantastic. It's nice to see the chick saving the helpless male for a change. However, the problem I have with this game lies in Peach's weapons. She fights with her emotions, further perpetuating the myth that woman are crazy emotional beasts incapable of rational thought or action. You tap on the icon for the screen to use one of the four emotions: calm, gloom, rage, or joy. Each of these emotions causes something different to happen, and yes, there are tears involved. If Peach uses "gloom," she starts to cry, causing plants to grow and lift her up.
Peach does have a non-emotional weapon: her parasol, Perry. The main way to kill enemies is to beat them with an umbrella.
So, the video game world almost made a terrific advancement by giving Princess Peach a game in which she saves the helpless Mario and Luigi. But they ruined the buzz that comes from seeing a woman kicking some serious patootie with her emotional weapon arsenal. For now, I think I'll stick with watching Princess Zelda in disguise telling Link how to get through Hyrule and teaching him Ocarina songs.
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