Will Wii MotionPlus Bring Back Wii-itis?
Shortly after the launch of the Wii dozens of websites were showcasing tragedies that happened as a result of poorly handled Wiimotes. Brand new flats creen tvs were cracked, windows broken and all manner of other home furnishings damaged by over enthusiastic gamers. After the chuckles died down another group came forth talking about the negative effects of the WIi: doctors.
Some people were playing their WIi too vigorously or for two long and were straining muscles and joints unaccustomed to exercise. This of course led to dozens of jokes about out of shape gamers, but in truth for the most part it’s been older Wii owners that have reported problems and it seems to still be an issue. Just yesterday I read an article from the New York Times that reported doctors seeing the expected arm issues, but leg problems such as sprained ankles and twisted knees as well. The doctors attributed this mostly to over playing and some users not understanding how little motion is needed to play.
This would have been pretty yawn-worthy, but it got me thinking: if people are hurting themselves now, is it going to get worse when WIi MotionPlus comes out? I’m sure the flood of golf games won’t be too taxing, though we might see more broken electronics due to hurled Wiimotes. What about all the games that will actually require fast-paced, multi-directional flailing? Are we going to see a new wave of strained muscles and over-worked joints? I certainly hope all the companies that create games which support the peripheral put in a notice at the start warning about the risk of swinging your arms around like a caffeinated monkey for hours on end else we’ll be seeing a wave of ridiculous lawsuits.