Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Wii thing?

Never been into computer games myself, but hb is talking enthusiastically about a Wii for Christmas. Anyone got one? I've resisted this type of technology before because I think Miss 7 could be seriously addicted (and I rue the day that someone introduced barbie.com into our household)... But if there was a particular game that included: a timed feature, some form of brain gym, some hand/eye coordination, etc. then perhaps I'd consider it (?) Any thoughts? jojo

Jojo:

I was in the same boat. Hate video games but have a geek of a hubby and he had had had to have it. So I relented and we got the wii. I have mixed reaction to it. Yes there is a lot of games from action krap to silly mario brother stuff (told you I hate video games) but also fun little mind games that are fun. Also there is a lot of musical ones like rockstar, guitar hero and new ones for an orchestra. IF you are going to have a component the wii is the one to get b/c the sky is the limit of what they come up with for it. BUT addiction can be a problem and if you are concerned about you DD7 it is valid. Best thing you could do is limit what type of games are allowed into the 'public' house. What I mean is have your hubby stash his till after the kids go to bed and have the approved ones out for the whole family to play. Of course that doesn't mean she won't know what games are out there. They usually know way more than we do about what is available when it comes to that stuff.

Thanks KM. It's a bit of a worry that he's suggested that he actually gives ME the Wii thing for Xmas (so that the girls don't fight over it). What on earth does he think I'll do with it??? Hrmph (!)

We have one, and we all enjoy it. There are some good "educational" games. Big brain academy is one of our faves. The whole family can play that at the same time.

well, i'm not ashamed to admit it - i'm a video game junkie! Not a true gamer, but I first got addicted with tomb raider, and i'm pleasantly surprised to find that the lego wii games are even more fun than tomb raider. And DS loves anything lego-related. We have big brain academy too, but none of us likes how it tells us how small are brains are, so maybe we'll have to try that one later!

Oh, and i'm wondering if anyone has tried WiiWare (where you download software to the wii). There's a new game that someone mentioned here before - The World of Goo - that's a physics-based puzzle game that is on WiiWare. Is it easy to download stuff to Wii?

Thanks RJH I could not remember the name of the game but that is the one we bought and I have to admit it is fun to play. We just haven't pulled the games out since we moved back in March.

The other cool thing about the wii is your controller holds all your information so if you have friends/family that have a wii you just take the controllers over to their house and play at your level.

The WiiWare is simple to use you just click on the link and it is guides you through the rest. The big complaint I have is the internet connection. It is like having another computer in the house, however there is no keyboard (at least the last time I checked) so you have to use the on screen keyboard with your controller. Very very slow.

I haven't done it but my DH has. I'm not sure which game he downloaded but he was excited that it only was $5 or something. I kind of tuned out but I can certainly ask him about the process. We bought the software for the internet for $5. Wikipedia looks pretty cool on the big screen!

As for the Wii itself, we have really enjoyed it as a family. I was skeptical too, and we didn't have any other games in the house (not even Leapsters or anything). It's been a great bonding experience for DH and DD6 as they figure out Lego Star Wars together. I like the balance board games. The hula hoop one actually works my abs! DH and I will play each other in tennis sometimes after the kids go to bed. I can't play real tennis at all so it's kind of fun to do it on the Wii. We don't have very many games, though, and we've only had it since the summer, so it's still pretty new. I can see us enjoying it for a long time, though.

HTH!

Ahh, Katelyn's Mom, you beat me to it! I had to stop typing because of a "bath situation" that needed my attention. And yes, the controller is a bit slow. We don't usually type long website addresses though so it's not too big of a deal.

Sorry Amy, but have to admit that is probably the first time I slipped in usually it is the other way around!