All manner of tennis elbow, sore backs and other muscle-related maladies have been reported over the past two weeks regarding the Wii, mostly with games like Wii Sports that encourage that extra mile when it comes to arm flailing. I would describe the reaction of Joe Public to these stories as ‘curious’ rather than ‘alarmed,’ but that could change. Superimposed against the launch of the PS3, with its attempted murder charges and real life GTA recreations, I’d argue a few sore muscles aren’t that bad, and will probably stay that was as far as public opinion is concerned. But the public is fickle, and it remains to be seen what effect this alleged overexertion might have. “Wii elbow” already seems to be destined for a Wikipedia entry, if it isn’t there already.
And reports from local networks, like this one from CBS 5 San Francisco, don’t help, as they don’t report a story so much as conjure one up.
“(CBS 5) The Nintendo Wii has barely been out for two weeks. And already there signs the gaming console is being overplayed. The Wall Street Journal reported cases of numb arms, sore shoulders, and the dreaded “Wii-elbow,” all caused by jerky or repetitive motions.”
I used to work at a small paper, and these types of stories were unfortunately a common practice. Went something like this: Editor sees national story about a new fad, and wants to cash in locally with a “bleeds it leads” headline. He finds a local doctor, puts up his best straw man (in this case, “there are already reports it’s being overplayed”), and presto, he gets his controversial headline. Kind of like me saying next gen is an 8/10 Gears of War (guilty, as charged).
The Monday after picking up the Wii I was also sore, but it went away faster than EA’s development budget for the PSP, and it didn’t really affect my everyday goings on. To a certain extent, some edginess to the Wii, in this case mild personal injury, generates buzz. If people start killing each other with Wiimotes, however, that may change. Keep a look out for that first heart attack victim too.
Dr. Latch, featured in the CBS story, has advice: take breaks. My advice? If you’re of the investing type, go all in on whoever the heck makes Bayer, Advil and Tylenol.
[Inspired by a post at Go Nintendo]
no, Wii Elbow does not exist in Wikipedia … yet… but it might…. it perhaps needs a few more references first… but now that this has been posted… I'm sure someone is one it :p
Is the "wii-elbow" and other Wii gameplay related soreness really that bad? Does this only affect people who play for hours at a time? When I finally get my Wii, I probably will only play an hour a day at best. Longer on weekends. Should I start training now to be in shape? lol-made_of_spam
The problem is, PS3 violence is pretty much over as people are no longer staying in lines to get one. The situation with people injuring themselves or others with the Wii is something that will most likely continue for a long time, if not the whole life of the console.Realistically, people ought to know better. However, put 4 idiots in a too small room and tell them to wave both arms around and something or someone is bound to be injured. Unfortunately, most people seem to be idiots.
Except for the CBS "news" story, I don't see the reports of pain and soreness after playing Wii as negative. People kind of sport these injuries as testament that the Wii provides a different type of fun!I got sore also after the first two days, and now that my body got used to the excercise, I'm perfectly fine…
For all the people hurtinbg themselves playing Wii, they should just imagine how bad it would be if they were *gasp* playing real sports. If they want to complain about being sore from Wii rowling they should try strapping a 15lb weight to the controller and trying that.