Despite that advanced warning, I still wasn't prepared for what happened. Being a fat slob is a LOT more culturally acceptable over here, and once you're out of high school no one really gives a damn anymore - apparently this bit of tech imported from Japan aims to change that.
We plug in our new Wii Fit. It has us enter our heights and ages, then it weighs us. It flashes our BMI on the screen, then morphs my Mii to grossly exaggerate my weight problem. While I'm still laughing that off, it throws a couple of balance tests our way...
My American Ingenuity was distracted by trying to figure out how the thing works, ...as I pondered it's inaccuraccies - after all, I can lean way left, yet push down with my foot and make it think I'm leaning right.
My American Sense Of Fairplay was a little miffed - not that the very first test was a timed event, but that they didn't draw my attention to it being timed (and having a deadline) until after the time had run out. I should be able to know the rules before the game starts!
My Patriotic American Sense Of Wanting To Go Kick Some Ass "Over There" was invoked when the "game" said - and I swear this is a direct screen quote, completely undoctored :
"Basic Balance doesn't seem to be your forte. Do you tend to stumble as you walk, and typically fall on your Fat American Ass? You have dishonored your Family, your Ancestors, and your Nation. If you'd like, you may enter a secret password, and then no will ever know what a oversized impotent disgrace you are. Press A to commit suicide -or- continue."
4 comments:
Interesting. I haven't tried it, but I have been curious and mildly concerned by the, as you described it, "ingenuity" aspect of this game and to a much lesser extent, the way your Mii is represented. Just as you describe, the visual feedback about your movement is very likely to be idiosyncratic and imprecise. This would seem like a minor bug in the development of the game, until you consider that the brain is constantly rewiring itself in response to this kind of input in order to calibrate and optimize the accuracy of the body's physical response.
I spend most of my time trying to change nervous systems whose processing of sensory information is just slightly out of synch (and trying to resolve the many problems that follow). It's different, of course, because in theory, this game acts on a system that has developed typically, but still... curious.
It would be doubly cruel if the change to your Mii reflected back to the overall profile -- and was unchangeable. We saw the same thing happen when we loaded up our Fit.
BTW, I really really want a game that uses two wiimotes as guns and the Balance board as a steering device. Like the Green Goblin's flying platform or something.
@Rebecca - Your comments are always insightful, informative, and have such a neat perspective. Glad to hear your take on things. Your job must be really interesting.
@Dig, - the game you propose would be awesome. If you ever catch wind of them making something like that, please tell me.
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