Play’s Republic

This is a brief post to discuss a couple of quirky features that have really stuck out at me when using the Wii interface.

1. If you are playing a game, say Wii Sports, between every third or so game, the console will take a minute to remind you about the other options that are out there in the game of life.  Rather than say, loading your game, the Wii will load a lovely, peaceful blue and white image of an open window, a breeze fluttering through the parted curtains.  Beneath the image of the window, there will be instructions reminding you, step-by-step, of how to pause the game in case you want to “take a break”.  Interesting, I find, that the system not only instructs me, but also encourages me not to play it.

Along the same lines -

2. While you play, the Wii tracks how many minutes you spend on each activity, so that you see exactly how you wasted your time throughout the day.  Be it surfing the internet and reading the news or socking another Mii repeatedly in the face in a friendly boxing match, the Wii will give you an exact breakdown of the time you spent in its environment.

And slightly off-course

3. When playing the Nintendo DS - particularly the “brain” games - the animated characters will take the time to remind you to eat a good dinner and get a good night’s rest with such helpful reminders as “you should hit the hay once you finish your test” when you begin the game play after 9 pm.

Thanks for looking out for me, Nintendo.

All of these features seem to me to be an industry response to the parental concerns we have heard voiced for decades.  Concerned over how their children are spending their time, parents can now monitor their game play down to the minute.  Further more, they have another voice on their side as the Wii itself encourages its players to walk away and to make sure that their gaming is not impeding a healthy lifestyle.   I think that this is an interesting approach for a “revolutionizing”, “fully interactive” system to take and I’m not quite sure that I get what’s behind it.

It could be argued that these are enhanced features of a more intelligent system.  It could also be argued that these messages and reminders are another source of unsolicited lifestyle advice in a world where more may not be needed and that these reminders, like your tv or radio, should have an off switch.