Wii Fit Calls Girl "Fat"

[robwright]

Article by Kevin Parrish

Nintendo's Wii Fit launches today in the U.S., but the game company is dealing with controversy after its new title called a 10-year-old girl "fat." Beware of the balance board.

http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2008/05/19/wiifit_controversy/

 

[spanner_razor]

Soz, double post.

 

[spanner_razor]

Just speeds up the eventual influence of the fashion industry, anorexia here we come.
To be fair though, The Daily Mail was the source, which almost always jumps on small stories and blows them way out of proportion, besides which it's a BMI test which is utter rubbish anyway as they never take muscle mass into account.
Did anyone catch the show where it tested the fat content of a group of people and according to their bmi's the skinny people were more healthy than the so called overweight rugby player but when they actually tested the amount of fat in the body he had the least. Think it had jamie oliver on it and dr.gunther von hagen.
Bottom line, it's a gimmicky way to get people to do more exercise, if you already do a fair amount (2-3 hours a week or more) and eat right then it's irrelevant.

 

[purplerat]

Wii sports told me I was 67 years old the first time I played.

**EDIT** I'm not 67 years old.

 

[13thmonkey]

that was a very interesting program, gunther is great, weird but great, did you see the exhibition in london?

BMI is not worth the paper its written on (or phospor dots)

 

[13thmonkey]

it was severals years ago, really really interesting
but yes glasgows a bit far

 

[spanner_razor]

Not as yet I haven't, will have to get down there at some point to check it out, bit of a treck though as I'm in Glasgow currently, mind you takes less time to London than it does to Yorkshire where I originate. Crafty trains.

 

[Christopher1]

Just speeds up the eventual influence of the fashion industry, anorexia here we come.
To be fair though, The Daily Mail was the source, which almost always jumps on small stories and blows them way out of proportion, besides which it's a BMI test which is utter rubbish anyway as they never take muscle mass into account.
Did anyone catch the show where it tested the fat content of a group of people and according to their bmi's the skinny people were more healthy than the so called overweight rugby player but when they actually tested the amount of fat in the body he had the least. Think it had jamie oliver on it and dr.gunther von hagen.
Bottom line, it's a gimmicky way to get people to do more exercise, if you already do a fair amount (2-3 hours a week or more) and eat right then it's irrelevant.

Yeah, BMI is totally a false estimation of whether someone is overweight or not.... which is one of the reasons why I say it is time that we don't use that to decide whether someone is overweight or not.

 

[infornography42]

I'm almost afraid to find out what it calls me. I just hope it doesn't pop up a new category of "Moo".

I have been considering picking up this game for a while now.

 

[waikano]

Overweight does not equal Fat! Come on give me break. Obese does not even equal Fat! Life is not fair deal with it people, and as stated Wii Fit was not intended for children, so if your child is offended by being called overweight or obese then don't use. Frivolous lawsuits due however equal DUMB!!

 

[milliamp]

The BMI ratings are sort of an industry standard that Nintendo has no control over.

You can even legally be denied health insurance based on your BMI.

I am not fat based on my percent of body fat but my BMI equates to Obese, what does Nintendo have to do with it?

Hell, I think even Shaq is considered Obese.

 

[thepinkpanther]

Wii sports told me I was 67 years old the first time I played.

**EDIT** I'm not 67 years old.

Wii sports told me i was 70(3 times+4 years my real age) the first time i played! my friend said thats the worst score he ever saw! was i angry? nope,i guess i had beginners luck...a computer cant tell you your real age! fat girl needs to get over it...im overweight and people call me fat im still not angry.

 

[Oh Snap]

Lawsuits aren't going to get you into a prom dress sweetie, better start losin'!

 

[voort]

yeah to survive in this world, people need to get a little less sensitive.
Im guessing the stats used in wii fit are standard reporting measurements. (if not then thats different) If she went into a gym and got her first assessments, the report would have been the same. Plus its also a tool to make you fitter. No one is going to get fit if the first thing they hear is that they have an ideal weight. no one will be fit if all we hear is, "you are perfect he way you are sweetie, no matter how you look, (or behave or smell or how stupid you are etc) we love you and thats what counts.

 

[mrmez]

I LOL'd

People crying cos a video game calls them fat, they next thing we will be sueing people who flame us online.

U hurt my feelings baaawaaaa

Bottom line is some MASSIVE % of americans (and australians) are now medically obese or overweight. Just walk around your local shopping centre etc and have a little look.

The father is a bit deluded too. He calls her "solidly built". Obviously being soldily built is TOTALLY different to being fat. The problem is these days most people think morbidly obese people are just plain 'fat', and fat people are just normal.

The human body was made to look and perform like an athelete. Its been working like that rather well for that past few thousand years.

If u cant take care of your own body thats fair enough, but please be honest enough to call yourself exactly WHAT you are, not what you would like to be.

So grab a coke and a smile and stfu.

 

[PhReaK_K]

I dont get it, if you are FAT, you are fat, if you dont like being called fat, loose some wight FFS. People get to sensative about issues like that. Hell I started loosing my hair at 17 *cries*, but I dont go around sueing people and bithcing cuz they say that I am balding, cuz I am. That is why I never worry about calling fat people FAT.

 

[mi1ez]

Wii sports told me i was 70(3 times+4 years my real age) the first time i played! my friend said thats the worst score he ever saw! was i angry? nope,i guess i had beginners luck...a computer cant tell you your real age! fat girl needs to get over it...im overweight and people call me fat im still not angry.

70-4=66
66/4=16.5

You still give your age in half years? ;-)

I'm fat, and I get a ribbing from my mates quite regularly about it, and guess what? I've cut back on the drink, and the rubbish I used to eat at the weekends and I've dropped a waist size so far.

Being told you're fat helps! If noone tells you, you think noone's noticed ("my god these baggy t-shirts are doing wonders for my figure!")

 

[rtfm]

I LOL'd

People crying cos a video game calls them fat, they next thing we will be sueing people who flame us online.

U hurt my feelings baaawaaaa

Bottom line is some MASSIVE % of americans (and australians) are now medically obese or overweight. Just walk around your local shopping centre etc and have a little look.

The father is a bit deluded too. He calls her "solidly built". Obviously being soldily built is TOTALLY different to being fat. The problem is these days most people think morbidly obese people are just plain 'fat', and fat people are just normal.

The human body was made to look and perform like an athelete. Its been working like that rather well for that past few thousand years.

If u cant take care of your own body thats fair enough, but please be honest enough to call yourself exactly WHAT you are, not what you would like to be.

So grab a coke and a smile and stfu.

Totally agree.

I think obesity is a positive thing for the western world. We have tons of fatties wobbling around in the U.K, wheezing from their car to Mc Donalds and back with their big bag of McSh1t burgers (why do they always get diet coke with the 3 big macs?), most of them will die in their 40's & 50's, thus solving our pensions crisis

Oh and just cause you're thin doesn't mean your're healthy. My friends partner had a heart attack 2 weeks after his 40th birthday, nearly killed him and now he's a cripple, he was thin, just had a really crap diet and smoked.

 

[stemnin]

70-4=66
66/4=16.5

You still give your age in half years? ;-)

I'm fat, and I get a ribbing from my mates quite regularly about it, and guess what? I've cut back on the drink, and the rubbish I used to eat at the weekends and I've dropped a waist size so far.

Being told you're fat helps! If noone tells you, you think noone's noticed ("my god these baggy t-shirts are doing wonders for my figure!")

70-4=66
66/3=22

Anyway, the game's been out in europe and japan for a while. I actually suggested to my mom to get Wii Fit, she really liked wii sports boxing and bowling (she was pretty sore the next day lol).

 

[dnicklas]

I totaly agree that people need to stop being wimps when they get insulted. There is alot I could say to add to that, however, I was reading about this game, and apparently it is difficult to get a heartrate over 120 bpm while playing this. I guess this depends on the person really, but if thats true, it begs the question: is this game is only designed to get your heart rate up? How is it better than any intense fps game? I can recall many adrenaline pumping games of halo 2 when it first came out. That makes me wonder how much better the wii fit is than any exciting game that has come out in the past.

 

[mi1ez]

70-4=66
66/3=22

Anyway, the game's been out in europe and japan for a while. I actually suggested to my mom to get Wii Fit, she really liked wii sports boxing and bowling (she was pretty sore the next day lol).

OK, your maths is evidently better than my reading!

 

[crom]

I was surprised it was a Brit that sued Nintendo first. We Americans are slouching!

WiiFit is a game. Deal with it. If you're so sensitive on your "solidly built" daughter maybe you shouldn't buy her video games and instead take her out and have her solid frame do solid things, like play sports.

 

[Flakes]

sports? nah thats way to hard for a child.

 

[llama_man]

sports? nah thats way to hard for a child.

As is knowing where to use capital letters, apostrophes, commas and the correct spelling of "too". :lol: [/cheap]

 

[Christopher1]

The BMI ratings are sort of an industry standard that Nintendo has no control over.

You can even legally be denied health insurance based on your BMI.

I am not fat based on my percent of body fat but my BMI equates to Obese, what does Nintendo have to do with it?

Hell, I think even Shaq is considered Obese.

Yep...... According to BMI, most football players, most baseball players, and most basketball players would be called 'obese'. That is why a lot of states have BANNED using BMI to deny someone insurance, and the feds are thinking of banning that as well.
Nintendo should have been smart, and not even INCLUDED the BMI rating in their game. They should have just asked for the height of the person, the body type of the person, the weight of the person, and THEN decided whether someone was overweight or not.