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Wii Fit (Wii)
Obesity experts condemn Nintendo's Wii 'Fit'...
Obesity experts condemn Nintendo's Wii 'Fit'...
Dailymail - May 16, 2008
Submitted by apujanata (14935) at 12:01AM PST on May 17, 2008
Obesity experts today slammed Nintendo after its Wii Fit game told a 10-year-old girl she was fat.
They fear the game could damage children's body image and called on the company to warn parents it is not suitable for their offspring.
Nintendo said today it would not be placing a warning on the game.
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4Laoldar posted on Wii Fit (Wii) at 10:55AM PST on May 17, 2008. RE: Obesity experts condemn Nintendo's Wii 'Fit'...She is likely slightly obese and her family is over-reacting to it. Being a "solidly built" 10 year old isn't necessarily normal development, but might be a warning sign that your child might not be as healthy as you think.
That being said, if this family can't handle a video game saying it, how do they handle bullying at school? Lawsuits?
It's ironic that "obesity experts" are telling childing NOT to be active, for fear that they're self-esteem might be hurt by a game that's designed to help you get fit.[ Oracle ] [ Level 21 ] [ Rank: 182 ]bids
1apujanata posted on Wii Fit (Wii) at 12:03AM PST on May 17, 2008. RE: Obesity experts condemn Nintendo's Wii 'Fit'...Reason for Nintendo's refusal (couldn't fit into the 500 character limitation for article) :
A spokesman said: "Wii Fit is still capable of measuring the BMI for people aged between two and 20 but the resulting figures may not be entirely accurate for younger age groups due to varying levels of development."[ Oracle ] [ Level 30 ] [ Rank: 14935 ]bids
28apujanata posted on Wii Fit (Wii) at 12:01AM PST on May 17, 2008. Article: Obesity experts condemn Nintendo's Wii 'Fit'...Obesity experts today slammed Nintendo after its Wii Fit game told a 10-year-old girl she was fat. They fear the game could damage children's body image and called on the company to warn parents it is not suitable for their offspring. Nintendo said today it would not be placing a warning on the game.[ Oracle ] [ Level 30 ] [ Rank: 14935 ]
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The problem with the article is this : "six stones" equal to 6 x 14 lbs = 84 lbs. With 4.9" height and 84 lbs, the BMI is 18.1 (or something like that), so she is actually underweight.
So, either the father lied (she is not 6 stones, but way more), or she input the wrong parameter (like height), and the BMI calculator arrived at the wrong category (based on wrong input).
At least, that is what I got from NeoGAF analysis of this article (with BMI expert and stone expert chiming in :D ).