Minneapolis-based WCCO reports this morning that the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been using the Wii in its physical rehabilitation program with tremendous success. Calling it "Wii-hab," the institute views the Wii's freeform motion controls as "a safe but realistic way to retrain" those suffering from serious injury.
You've probably heard by now about the Wii's use in a therapeutic capacity, but the line that caught my eye in this piece was "even patients with limited mobility can use the controls."
Isn't that just the beauty of the Wii? Take the bowling game in Wii Sports, which if you haven't played it (you should) lets you mimic the stance, lift, and arm-swinging motion you'd use with an actual bowling ball in a real bowling alley. But in Wii Bowling, you can either opt to swing your arm back then forward in the full extension pendulum, or hold your arm still and lightly snap your wrist to release the ball for more or less the same effect.
I've watched dozens of people play Wii bowling. I have a brother-in-law who's mastered the last second wrist-flick to put a furious spin on the ball and pull off those long and lovely curving strikes. I have other friends who stand somewhat stiff-armed and jerk the controller sharply without much moving their arms, dropping the ball (thud!) onto the lane. I've seen the latter pull out strikes or spares as often as not.
The irony, of course, is that real bowling accommodates the good and shall we say "not-as-accomplished" equally well. You've probably either seen or been one of those bowlers who plays once a year and somehow anomalously fumbles out a 200 or better.
That's why the Wii just works. It takes that "complete amateurs can bowl a good game" factor and couples it to an equalizing interface that lets pretty much anyone strong enough to lift a controller participate. Sure, a gamepad can equalize as well, and if you're specifically in need of finger-therapy, by all means go for it (speaking as a pianist who spiral-fractured his thumb in a cycling criterium some years ago, I can vouch for the efficacy of this). But gamepads throw up an arbitrary language of buttons and triggers and and thumbsticks. They require a certain amount of arcane knowledge to master, whereas the Wii pares interaction down to simple, natural gestures.
It's great to see a video game console getting some positive press. Games are so much more than chainsaws and finishing moves (though to be fair, they're as legitimately those as well).
This, in addition to studies earlier this year which suggest regular use of game consoles that require body movement can help shift up to 27 pounds a year. Take that, Kirstie Alley!
I have extremely damaged wrists -- hello, repetitive strain -- and can't bowl or play tennis because of the strain of lifting the ball/racket for extended periods of time. But the Wii lets me come close to the real thing without inflicting anywhere near as much pain. And I play much better tennis on the Wii than I do in real life.