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Emma Davis's review of Wii Sports
Date last edited: 05-30-2024 at 11:42AM
Rating: Everyone
Review:
Title - Wii Sports Developer/Publisher - Nintendo Genre - Sports ESRB rating - E Your rating on a 5 star scale - 5 out of 5 stars Primary audience - Families Year of release - 2006 Platform - Wii Add an image and/or trailer to the media - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqaPFAZS1K8
In 2006 video game company, Nintendo, launched the Wii gaming console. The Wii was very popular at the time of its release. This console was not as expensive as other consoles at the time and featured multiplayer games on one device. The most innovative and unique part about the Wii gaming console at the time was its “Wii remote.” This remote is a wireless, motion responsive controller that tracks motion and transmits it into the game that is being played. Due to the Wii remote that resembled a TV remote rather than a gaming controller, the console allowed for more games involving sports and physical activity. For example, some of the most popular Wii games included Mario Kart Wii, Just Dance, Wii Fit, Mario Super Sluggers, Super Smash Bros, and more. But the most popular game on the Wii gaming console is Wii Sports. Wii Sports was created by Japanese video game designer, Eguchi Katsuya, and was launched by Nintendo on the Wii gaming console in 2006. The game showcased five different sports including golf, bowling, baseball, boxing, and tennis. For example, if you decided to play golf, you would position and swing the Wii remote to replicate a golf swing in the game. Wii Sports allowed up to four people to play together at one time, whether you were on the same team or opposing teams. Today, Wii Sports is still one of the most popular games on the Wii gaming console. This video game is a prime example of the seven media keys according to the book, Infinite Bandwidth. Unlike graphic or violent video games, Wii Sports is a wholesome, nonviolent sports video game that helps increase daily exercise, and allows for people to play together.
The Seven Media Keys The First Media Key: Balance Balance is the first media key and it focuses on looking at media from all angles and discovering who the target audience is. Most video games are targeted to one specific demographic. However, Wii Sports can be played by anyone. Not only is this game for children but adults and elderly people can have fun playing it too. This game was created to provide positive entertainment and fun for family and friends. It doesn’t matter your age, gender, or skill level in any of the sports, this game was designed so that everyone can enjoy and learn how to play fast. You also don’t have to play one specific sport, you can choose from multiple sports with additional mini games included. This was my favorite game as a kid and I loved playing it with all of my cousins and with my parents. This video game is an excellent example of this media key because it is balanced with no specific or defined target audience, making Wii Sports a great game for everyone.
The Second Media Key: Attitude Awareness “[T]he second media key helps us cultivate an awareness of the attitudes underlying the media we view and use” (Gan, pg. 40). The only attitude behind the creation of Wii Sports is wanting players to keep playing the game to beat their own or friends' high score. Wii Sports is a simple sports game that doesn’t have any higher, scholarly meaning or social agenda. It is seen and known as a video game that is purely for fun and entertainment. However, like most games, Wii Sports is a game that makes players want to come back to achieve a higher score each time they play. After you win a game or a mini game, your score will show how much you improved from the previous time you played. This is similar to almost all video games because it keeps the players wanting to continue playing the game or purchase new versions of the game. However, Wii Sports is still an exciting game that can be played by yourself or with friends, where you can have a positive experience playing alone or with others competitively.
The Third Media Key: The Dignity of the Human Person The third media key calls for us to exemplify dignity for ourselves and our bodies that God created. The purpose of the Wii gaming console and its motion responsive controllers is to allow people of all ages to engage in some form of physical activity. Wii Sports is a game that exemplifies helping people improve their health and physical activity. Playing the games on Wii Sports increases your heart rate and closely imitates the movements of the sport that you are playing such as tennis or boxing which initiates physical exercise. Because we need to take care of ourselves, both mind and body, this game exhibits respect for our human dignity. If I were to play a game that involves sitting down and staring at a screen for hours at a time, is that really taking care of myself? However, if I were to play an active game such as Wii Sports that is known to positively benefit my health, isn’t that better for me? Of course it is! Therefore, Wii Sports is a perfect example of this media key because it allows us to engage in an entertaining game while also improving the bodies that God created for us.
The Fourth Media Key: Truth-Filled The fourth media key is truth-filled. “In word and action, our use of the media should be filled with truth. It should conform to reality and help lead others to a deeper understanding of reality” (Gan, pg. 68). Wii Sports is a truth-filled video game that focuses on teaching its players about sports through wholesome entertainment. It also is a game where players can have fun playing sports with friends or by themselves. In the game, players can choose one of the five sports which include golf, bowling, baseball, boxing, and tennis. Then by playing these games and mini games for each sport, the player learns the details and rules of the game. There is no violence or questionable content. It is an honest and simple game about sports. It also teaches that sports are competitive and that there is a winner and a loser. This allows for its players to win and achieve victory or to lose and learn how to lose graciously and strive for victory next time they play. Though Wii Sports is just a video game, it allows for its players to know and have an appreciation for the lessons that sports teaches you in the real world.
The Fifth Media Key: Inspiring Inspiring is the next media key and it focuses on how a game should be inspirational to its players. Wii Sports is an inspiring video game because of its clean content and it engages the players in games that promote exercise and fun with family and friends. It is a lighthearted, uplifting game that can bring family and friends together to play. I remember that I would always play this game with my younger siblings and it brought us closer together because most of the time we were on the same team. I loved this game and still look fondly on the days of my childhood when I would play with my siblings. Therefore, Wii Sports is an inspiring game because it is cheerful and shows that you can have fun with friends and family while also having a positive effect on physical health.
The Sixth Media Key: Skillfully Developed The sixth media key is skillfully developed and it reminds us that media must be well-made. Wii Sports is a skillfully developed game because it created a game that was simple and easy to understand while also being a game that expanded motion-sensing technology. The graphics and game design is nostalgic and remarkable and it even had personalized characters to make the game more unique. Miis were the characters that you could design yourself and you could play as any of the characters you created for the game. Wii Sports was also developed with five different games, each with their own mini games to play as well. Wii Sports is a straightforward game that is skillfully developed through its motion-sensing technology, graphics, personalized avatars, and multiple games to play.
The Seventh Media Key: Motivated by and Relevant to Experience “Media itself is an experience because it gives us an experience” (Gan, pg. 119). Wii Sports gives its players the experience of participating in sports and connecting with others through family fun. Whether for little kids who have never played a sport before or an adult who has not played a sport since high school, it gives everyone the opportunity to experience playing in a game. Though it is not real life, it implements the experiences and game situations like a real sport does. I play softball for Franciscan and even though Wii Sports didn’t have the game of softball, it did have baseball. I would play Wii Sports baseball with my little brother and that’s how I was introduced to the game that I love. It gave me the experience which allowed me to practice and partake in the sport that I wanted to learn more about and get better at.
In conclusion, in 2006 Wii Sports created a new type of sports simulation that helps increase daily exercise and allows for people to spend time together. This game can be played by anyone and is an easy game to learn. It encourages wholesome family fun with content that fulfills all seven media keys. I recommend that everyone play Wii Sports and experience a great video game that promotes physical activity and social connection with friends and family.