Laurio, Nintendo Wii's and the new Wellness Center
Tim Laurio
Issue date: 2/26/10 Section: Opinion
Earlier this week, posters for the Wii funding campaign appeared all over the dorms, asking students to donate money to purchase consoles for the new Wellness Center. By the way-the Wellness Center is supposed to have Wii consoles. Did this come as a surprise to anyone else? Apparently, however, the building funds do not cover Wii consoles, so students will have to contribute at least half of the money themselves.
If you're like me, this news provokes questions. Why should students pay for Wii consoles when we were never asked if we wanted them in the first place? "No taxation without representation" is an old principle but still a good one. If students are going to pay for accessories, we should have a say in what we buy.
And before we hand over our not-too-plentiful cash to outfit our Wellness Center with Wii consoles, we ought to ask the questions that any buyer asks. Do we need it? Can we afford it? Is there a better way to use the money?
Why does a workout facility need video game consoles? Just putting "workout" and "video game" in the same sentence sounds like an oxymoron to me. But perhaps that's an old stereotype. Perhaps newer gaming systems like the Wii are more fitness-friendly. That's what I thought, at least, so I did some research.
No. It turns out that, despite their popularity, Wii workouts are a poor substitute for the real thing. A WebMD article, "Can You Really Get Fit with Wii Exercise Games?" cautions that the Wii Fit cannot replace traditional exercise because it does not simulate a full work out. According to the BBC, a 2007 British Medical Journal study found that "Wii players used only 2% more energy than players of regular computer games."
I did come across one article in favor of using Wii systems for exercise. The article, reporting a 2009 study, touted that "people could expend more energy playing the Wii Sports (…or) Wii Fit than during a brisk walk." Unfortunately for its credibility, the article included a caveat: "The study was funded by Nintendo."
When the benefits are so slim (no pun intended), we ought to think twice about buying, especially when that money could be used for other things. A missions trip to Mexico, for instance. Or aid for Haiti. Or, better yet, let's pool our resources to do something constructive right here at home. We could save the money for next year's books. Or use it to reseed Pardee lawn once Frisbee season comes around again. Or we could fix up some of those bathrooms in Webb (you guys know what I mean).
I for one will not be contributing to the Wii funding campaign. Sure, it has its perks. Having Wii systems would be cool. The campaign even offers a "discount" from a donor: student contributions will be matched up to $500. But none of that changes the basic issue.
Why spend money on something we don't need?
If you're like me, this news provokes questions. Why should students pay for Wii consoles when we were never asked if we wanted them in the first place? "No taxation without representation" is an old principle but still a good one. If students are going to pay for accessories, we should have a say in what we buy.
And before we hand over our not-too-plentiful cash to outfit our Wellness Center with Wii consoles, we ought to ask the questions that any buyer asks. Do we need it? Can we afford it? Is there a better way to use the money?
Why does a workout facility need video game consoles? Just putting "workout" and "video game" in the same sentence sounds like an oxymoron to me. But perhaps that's an old stereotype. Perhaps newer gaming systems like the Wii are more fitness-friendly. That's what I thought, at least, so I did some research.
No. It turns out that, despite their popularity, Wii workouts are a poor substitute for the real thing. A WebMD article, "Can You Really Get Fit with Wii Exercise Games?" cautions that the Wii Fit cannot replace traditional exercise because it does not simulate a full work out. According to the BBC, a 2007 British Medical Journal study found that "Wii players used only 2% more energy than players of regular computer games."
I did come across one article in favor of using Wii systems for exercise. The article, reporting a 2009 study, touted that "people could expend more energy playing the Wii Sports (…or) Wii Fit than during a brisk walk." Unfortunately for its credibility, the article included a caveat: "The study was funded by Nintendo."
When the benefits are so slim (no pun intended), we ought to think twice about buying, especially when that money could be used for other things. A missions trip to Mexico, for instance. Or aid for Haiti. Or, better yet, let's pool our resources to do something constructive right here at home. We could save the money for next year's books. Or use it to reseed Pardee lawn once Frisbee season comes around again. Or we could fix up some of those bathrooms in Webb (you guys know what I mean).
I for one will not be contributing to the Wii funding campaign. Sure, it has its perks. Having Wii systems would be cool. The campaign even offers a "discount" from a donor: student contributions will be matched up to $500. But none of that changes the basic issue.
Why spend money on something we don't need?
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 7
Luke
posted 2/26/10 @ 12:37 AM EST
Excellent points, Tim. I couldn't agree more.
Damien
posted 2/26/10 @ 1:42 PM EST
I agree with the article Tim since I own both the Wii and Wii fit but I am also an athlete here at Milligan. Being on the swim team I really have no need to use the Wii to stay in shape and furthermore have no desire to pay for them to go in the Wellness Center considering I already pay close to 20,000 dollars a semester in tuition costs. (Continued…)
Katy Fox
Katy Fox
posted 3/06/10 @ 12:16 AM EST
Hey Tim,
I appreciate the passion & energy you brought to this article, however I believe some the facts you based your opinion on are incorrect. The folks over in the Hyder House who work with institutional advancement do an incredible job day in & day out raising funds to make Milligan a better place. (Continued…)
Chelsea Farnam
posted 3/09/10 @ 6:36 PM EST
Tim, I really appreciated this column. It's great to see students raising their voices about what effects us on campus.
I, personally, would love to see some research revealing the true health benefits of the Wii. (Continued…)
Daniel Wallen
posted 3/15/10 @ 3:11 PM EST
I am very much with Tim and Chelsea on this issue. I believe exercise games for the Wii have some health benefits, but I don't understand the point of having them in the new wellness center. (Continued…)
Kalee
posted 3/19/10 @ 4:32 PM EST
Wow, Tim, thanks for your amazing opinion piece, it's so great to hear people standing up to give their opinions on school issues. I just watched the package on the opening ceremony and thought the Wii's were a fun idea, until I read your article. (Continued…)
anonymous
posted 3/25/10 @ 8:37 PM EST
I just like the fact that the WIIs were purchased before all the funds from the students were even collected. It was all just a trick to make us think we were involved. (Continued…)
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