Do You Suffer from Wiitis?
Aches and Pains Associated with the New Wii Video Game Console
According to Reuters, a family practice doctor named Dr. Julio Bonis recently wrote a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine saying "The variant in this patient can be labeled more specifically as 'Wiitis,'" referring to an injury he acquired after playing a simulated tennis game on the Wii.
The treatment for Wiitis as prescribed by Bonis was one week of ibuprofen and abstinence from the Wii. The treatment has been reported to be successful by Bonis.
Wiitis is the latest form in a series of repetitive strain injuries that have affected gamers since the invention of the video game. In the past, repetitive strain injuries were more common than anything similar to an actual sports injury.
The Wii is unique in that it requires the player to mimic actual movements. This is accomplished by a motion sensing remote used to play many of the Wii games. The remote is held in one hand with a wrist strap provided for safety. The tennis game that affected Bonis requires that the player make similar movements to what they would if they were playing tennis on an actual court.
Unlike real sports where the player may tire more easily because they are required to run around, the Wii sports and games may allow a player to become sore before they realize since they may not tire as quickly standing or sitting in one spot.
Wii Tennis is a part of the sports pack included with many of the consoles. The other games in the pack include baseball, golf, boxing, and bowling. There are also many other non sports-related games for the Wii that require specific repetitive motions to play the game.
Produced by Nintendo, the Wii has also received attention lately because of how well it is out-performing its competitors in the market. According to The Washington Post, the Wii was the top selling game console in the U.S. for the first 4 months of 2007 and does not seem to be slowing down. Nintendo has sold five times more Wii consoles in Japan than Sony has of their new PS3 console.
Recently video games in general have come under scrutiny due to the violent nature of some games and the potentially addictive nature of certain games as well. According to WebMD, some video games are also reported to have potential vision benefits, although the benefits seem to be very minor and the study conducted was fairly small.
Sources:
Kiyoshi Takenaka, "Nintendo Wii outsells Sony PS3 5-fold in Japan." The Washington Post URL: (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/06/AR2007060600463.html)
Miranda Hitti, " Action Video Games May Boost Vision." WebMD Medical News URL: (http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/news/20070208/action-video-games-may-boost-vision)
Reuters, " If it's not tennis elbow, it may be 'Wiiitis'." Reuters URL: (http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0616721120070606)
Published by Tiffany Bradford
I am a business major currently working full-time in finance. I hope to break into full-time freelance writing at some point in the future, but for now it's an great hobby with the bonus of extra pay. View profile
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11 Comments
Post a CommentDo You Suffer from Wiitis?A new type of video game injury may be acquired along with the fun of Nintendo's Wii console.http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/273403/do_you_suffer_from_wiitis.html
Very interesting article. As usual, great writing!
Nice article there Ker... Ms Bradford. Excellent find, and very intriguing. Although I would think most of the injuries suffered from the Wii would be from baseball. There just isn't a way to throw a curve unless you really throw one I guess.
Wow! This is new. I had no idea the Wii was affecting people this way. I don't get enough exercise, maybe I should go out and buy one sooner rather than later. Great article, and fun to read. Stay prolific Tiffany.
I think this Wii is a good idea. I always balk at the image of kids sitting there transfixed before a tv set playing videa games for hours on end and adults claiming that playing video games improves "hand eye coordination" as if playing videa games is just like playing any other competitive sport. At least with this Wii, there seems to be some physical activity on the part of the player. Exercise and healthy lifestyle! I say bravo to the inventors.
To be honest, the first time I played the Wii I was very sore for a few days. I didn't understand and the time that you don't really have to put the full force you'd have to put behind a real tennis ball to make it work right! I'm not in the worst shape but those are just not muscles I use on a regular basis apparently. :)
This is actually a legitimate issue. I was surprised at how badly I hurt the day after I used the Wii for the first time. It's not so much an issue of not exercising enough, it's just that most people probably don't have occasion to move in those particular ways during the course of an average day... I wouldn't normally swing a baseball bat or tennis racket, for example. Your body does eventually get used to the motion needed to play some of the more interactive games, but it's pretty painful for the first few times... Check out my Wii review: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/198657/nintendo_wii_revolutionary_gaming_for.html
I totally had this for like, the first week after I got it...lol....I usually do try to stay fit, but it's just so different...you don't think you are overdoing it, but you really are sore a lot sooner than you think.
Good article!!!!! A must read for all teens-- starting with my nephew!!!!!
I guess it all depends on how into the game you get! I think you can either flick your wrist or put your whole body into it. In my opinion, the amount of effort put into the game is in direct relation to how much your friends egg you on. ;)