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Wii Fit slammed for calling 10 year old girl "Fat"

  1. The following is a snippet of news from the British Daily Mail regarding the issue of a girl who was unfortunate to be a victim of the inconsistently flawed Body Mass Index on the Nintendo 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.

    The £69 game, which sold out within hours when it went on sale in Britain last month, uses an electronic "balance board" to monitor a player's weight.

    Once the player has entered their height, the game uses BMI, a measure of body fat based on an adult's height and weight, to calculate their level of obesity, placing them in categories such as "underweight" and "fat".

    Players can then be guided through yoga exercises or play games to improve their balance.

    However, a father from the South-East spoke today of the embarrassment when his stepdaughter played the game and was labelled fat.

    "She is a perfectly healthy, 4ft 9in tall 10-year-old who swims, dances and weighs only six stone," said the father, who did not want to be named for fear of embarrassing the girl further.

    "She is solidly built but not fat. She was devastated to be called fat and we had to work hard to convince her she isn't.

    Potentially damaging: the BMI chart that appears on screen during the Ninendo Wii game

    "I know it is just a game but we already have to worry about young girls starving themselves to look like magazine models and now we have a game that tells them they're fat. This to me is very worrying."

    Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum called for children to be banned from playing the game, claiming the BMI measurement was misleading.

    "I'm absolutely aghast that children are being told they are fat," he said.

    "BMI is far from perfect but with children it simply should not be used.

    "A child's BMI can change every month and it is perfectly possible for a child to be stocky, yet still very fit.

    "I would be very concerned if children were using this game and I believe it should carry a warning for parents."

    Nintendo said today it would not be placing a warning on the game.

    A spokesman said: "Nintendo would like to apologise to any customers offended by the in-game terminology used to classify a player's current BMI status, as part of the BMI measurement system integrated into Wii Fit.

    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."

    What fallacy! I too am "aghast" by such mockery! I say shame on Nintendo for creating such an insulting game. ALL children should stay away from it, and it should be labbelled an 18SG product to protect our children from becoming mentally disturbed!

    The good Sauce.

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  2. it can't be worse than other kids calling you fat at school. and any one who takes a geme seriously takes it way too seriously. while it's understandable that the measurement is off on young kids at lest they could say that the BMI system only really works semi-acuratly on people 17 above or something...

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  3. I would laugh if a video game called me fat.

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  4. If you're fat you're fat, accept reality and put down that donut.

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  5. Well, that's the Daily Mail for ya.

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  6. Avatar Image

    Kip

    That poor girl... must be devastated.

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  7. That's why it is Best to take it easy with games.

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  8. Old news is old from last year september... Well still good reminder that games suck at guessing people weight.

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  9. Avatar Image


    BAAAAWWWWWWW

    Srsly, people spoil their kids too much. At least being called fat gives children a good reason to lay off the fucking big mac and eat moar healthy hippy shit like fish and salad.

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  10. I like how they speak of the game as if it is alive

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  11. Doriinatrix said:
    I like how they speak of the game as if it is alive

    how come i always read your text like your eating a bananana?

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  12. Fat people should just avoid wii fit...

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  13. It's amazing how pissed off people can get at video games especially at wii fit. I'm mean honestly, how many times has the weight/height BMI been proven to be inaccurate and you're believing one that a faulty game sensor creates is any better?

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  14. well, you can`t expect machine to lie... aren't you

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  15. Ah, the good old Daily Fail. Remember this is the same paper that claimed that social networking sites such as Facebook will give you brain cancer.

    Now if you'll excuse me, I have to medicate this strange headache I keep getting these past few months, then update my Facebook status accordingly.

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  16. Geerie said:

    how come i always read your text like your eating a bananana?

    It's my power. The same power that makes me think all of the men in this forum are cute lolis.

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  17. Avatar Image


    But I really am a cute loli.

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  18. I've never, and more than likely never will, played wii fit, but when it calls you fat, how does it say it? Is it like, "You're fat so your friends don't really like you!"? I'd understand kids falling apart over that, but maybe when it calls them fat it should also say, "But so is Mario. Don't worry it's cool."

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote
  19. Wii says i'm ⑨. that is decent grade, i'm happy with Wii's judgement.

    Posted 6 years ago # Quote

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