My son has a Wii, a Playstation 2 and 3, a DS and an XBox. As a homeschooled only child at home in a neighborhood with no children, he has more time to play video games than most kids so he is like the video game expert in his little group of friends. His friends sometimes call him for game advice.
He doesn't play the Wii as much as he does the PS2 and 3 and the DS, but he sometimes plays Wii Fit and I think it helps with balance and coordination. He really likes playing Rock Band 2 but he has the PS3 version. His friends enjoy playing this with him.
Video games have piqued his interest in so many areas that I have a hard time seeing them as being a bad thing that should be limited to a few hours a week. Playing Ace Attorney games piqued his interest in our legal system and led to reading more of his sister's introduction to law textbook, Trauma Center Under the Knife 2 for the DS piqued more of an interest in medical terminology and how the human body works, simulation games, especially the Sims, piqued an interest in sociology and psychology and led to reading psychology and sociology textbooks, Empire Earth and Age of Empires and Civilization and similar games piqued more of an interest in history and the intereactive nature of some of these games led to much more learning, not less. I think playing these games motivated him to read more than he otherwise would have. My Spanish Coach for the DS is helping him learn Spanish, Harvest Moon piqued an interest in gardening, Crosswords for the DS is helping with writing letters quickly and legibly, My SAT Coach for the DS has piqued his interest in taking tests and provided practice in filling in those bubbles when coloring in the lines isn't exactly his forte. RPG games have piqued his interest in "leveling up" in all things except shoe tying.
