In our household, the Nintendo Wii has spent the majority of the last two years suffering from the Trampoline Effect — everyone wants one but once they have one, it’s soon abandoned, left to gather dust.
But in mid-winter, the dust was wiped away and the Wii was reborn, thanks to my daughter’s newly found enthusiasm for Wii Sports and Mario Party 8. But it didn’t stop there. Last month, my wife brought home Nickelodeon Fit, a kiddie version of the popular Wii Fit. I was pessimistic. The action-RPG gamer side of me wondered what kid in their right mind would play a fitness game.
I was proven wrong. For the last month, my daughter has been working out alongside Dora, Diego and the Backyardigans.
Still stunned at the game’s appeal, I decided to conduct the following interview with my daughter, to peel back the layers of inspiration and get to the gooey goodness of the game. Those of you with small children will know this was not a question-and-answer-style of interview, but a spattering of questions tossed out as my daughter sprinted across the yard or between Disney Princess songs.
Me: So what do you do in the game?
Daughter: We work out, of course. Why do you think it’s a workout game? You extercize (sic) doing the pogo stick, bowling, rescue rafting on waterfalls. And you try to not fall off. Oh, and we do races.
Me: Who is your favourite character to play as?
Daughter: I like to play Dora because she does the pogo stick game where you have to catch all the stars. When it comes to the animals friends, my favourite are the Backyardigans and ‘specially Pablo because we do bowling and try to hit the golden pin. We are trying to get points so we can win ribbons and get to another level for a new trophy.
Me: You have said before that video games are mostly for boys? Is this game just for boys?
Daughter: No, it’s for girls too. It’s for everyone because it has everyone’s favourite characters. They’ll learn new things, new animals and new people. The exercise is for everyone because it will make you stronger and it’s good for muscles.
Me: Do you like the game better than Mario Party 8?
Daughter: Daddy, I like them both in different ways. I like the characters in both.
Me: If you could make the game better, what would you do?
Daughter: I would like to find my own friends and work out with them. We could pogo stick together and run and play together.
Me: Anything else you would add?
Daughter: Oh, I would add Hello Kitty.. ‘Cuz I love Hello Kitty. She’s so cute. There would be a kitty village where all the kitties and all the animals live. There could be puppies, bunnies, penguins and kitties. We would hop with the pogo sticks and try to catch [falling] bows to wear.
Me: If you could make your own video game, what would it be?
Daughter: I would like a game where I play [Disney’s] Gummy Bears and we would run around the forest trying to defeat the evil Duke Egthorn. And we would protect the castle, the kingdom, and King Gregor and the princess. We could bounce everywhere and run away from the ogres.
Me: That sounds like a pretty fun game.
Daughter: Thank you, Daddy.
The game’s greatest triumph for me is the way it pushes my daughter to work on her endurance, balance and co-ordination while having fun. Many a session she’ll be out of breath saying, “Whew! That was quite a workout.” The glow of pride in her eyes when she beats her previous time or score is simply priceless.
Fortunately, spring has finally arrived and the Wii once again gathers dust. My daughter will trade leaping and twirling with Nickelodeon Fit characters for leaping and twirling on the trampoline in our backyard. Because when it comes to kids, there’s one thing that thankfully holds true — real life is always better than a video game.
When he’s not teaching junior high, St. Albert Catholic High School alumnus Derek Mitchell spends his free time attached to a video game console.
