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Wii invades Retirement Homes!

dailytech.com — The Wii is now the latest rage at the Sedgebrook retirement community in Lincolnshire, where the average age is 77. In particular, the Wii Bowling component of Wii Sports has members of the retirement community hooked on playing the Wii installed inside the Sedgebrooks’s clubhouse lounge.

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  • awm4, on 10/12/2007, -0/+104Dugg because of picture & the thought of two grannies playing Wii boxing.
    • rudy23, on 10/12/2007, -15/+4wheelchair racing
    • jenny1978, on 10/12/2007, -1/+48they need to make a shuffleboard game
    • dcmjzero, on 10/12/2007, -14/+8my reaction to the article: AWWW! That is so cute!
    • PaulOwen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+29Nah, good on them.

      Actually good on Nintendo. When you think of "gamer" you think of "teenage couch potato". So news that someone else is playing video games makes the rest of us look good.

      Even if neither group are great to look at.
    • ThinkBox, on 10/12/2007, -0/+27Dugg at the thought of Grandpa sitting on a couch chugging a litre of Mt. Dew
    • heysuburbia, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10>> Dugg because of picture & the thought of two grannies playing Wii boxing.

      Here's a bunch of more photos for ya:
      http://wiinintendo.net/2006/12/15/flickr-photoset-wii-for-the-non-gamer/
    • scrimaxinc, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14Wii Bingo?
    • themastersb, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4I never thought I'd ever see an old person playing with his Wii.
    • verifex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+28Damnit, old people are getting a Wii and I STILL can't find one in stores!! ARgH!
    • igotdugout, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2“I've never been into video games, but this is addictive,” said 72-year-old Flora Dierbach."

      Damn straight, beats the hell out of playing chess.
    • bazuden, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Wii Dominoes!!
  • jamdog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Just bought my wii and I can totally understand this photo, as i am playing the boxong with my two half year old and the baby helped me catch those bloody fish in Zelda.
    • jenny1978, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7My 3 year old loves the bowling and my 6 year old kicks our butts at the tennis. Even my mother in law loved it (she is in her 60's). Great for the whole family.
    • N1NJ4hippie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5What I don't get is how people who don't like the Wii still think that the term Wii fanboy still can hold any water. Look at the diversity of players. I think that we could make it a lot easier if we just called them Wii haters.
    • ivanxivann, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2My little 3 year old brother kicks major ass at Wii Sports, Zelda, and WarioWare.
  • mattstooks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+38Now Nintendo needs to add "Make sure there are no objects, including wheelchairs, walkers or outgoing stretchers in the way before you begin."
  • UnglueD, on 10/12/2007, -1/+61Grandpa's not wearing his wrist strap...
    • MagL33To, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Yeah he is. If you click the picture to see it bigger you can see he has it on, but not very tightly and it's gone up his wrist as he's swinging.
    • overbored454, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9The greater danger is in him not wearing his depends when he hits a home run in Wii Baseball.
    • mourne, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4and some how, i doubt he has broken the TV... ;)
  • mikefitz2, on 10/12/2007, -117/+1OH MY GOD the wii! the wii! let's digg the story to the front page to spread the word! better sales than ps3 and xobx 360!!!!
    • underthelinux, on 10/12/2007, -5/+94If you can submit a story about PS3 or 360 making it to a Retirement home lounge, i would be more than happy to digg it.

      /case closed.
    • IareKEVLAR, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18Note to mikefitz2:

      Play a Wii, and then try to bitch about it.

      The end.

      Love, iarekevlar
  • PleaseBeSerious, on 10/12/2007, -3/+40I can hear the hips breaking from here.
    • rudy23, on 10/12/2007, -11/+4lawsuits coming up in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .
  • tonich03, on 10/12/2007, -56/+2That's the reason I don't have a Wii
    • MindStalker, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19Cause your immortal? And will never be sent to a retirement home. Or you never get off the couch and will die way before then.. Which is it?
    • songhaa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+36Why? Because it's fun and appeals to a lot of people?
    • kevinmotel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11because all those old people are buying them up with their social security checks? maybe an elderly person in your family will leave you one in their will.
    • tonich03, on 10/12/2007, -44/+1No, Because it appeals to a lot of people, its ghey.
    • crawfishsoul, on 10/12/2007, -0/+30^^tonich^^

      uh oh, we've got an emo amongst us! "I can't like something that other people like, I'm a nonconformist and too cool for what normal people find cool"
    • kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13I guess tonich is an avid player of the Atari Jaguar, 3DO and CD-i.
    • chingy1788, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Did you lose it in the war or something? or were you born only with two testes?
      heheh
      I just played the Wii yesterday, Wii Tennis, it was great first try at the Wii
  • mandarin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+55Soon: Jack Thompson will be complaining about Senior Citizens driving like maniacs due to Grand Theft Auto...
  • COlson87, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16Props to Nintendo and the Wii!
  • rudy23, on 10/12/2007, -17/+9at least grannies are gonna have a wii to touch
    • MindStalker, on 10/12/2007, -17/+5Hey.. Its better than them Wii-ing on the bedsheets.
  • seantron, on 10/12/2007, -16/+2Wasn't this already on the front page?
  • Tygell, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16In other news, TV repair costs have skyrocketed in Nursing Homes across the country!
  • tont0r, on 10/12/2007, -2/+66lets hope that they dont play call of duty 3 and get flashbacks
    • reddevil3, on 10/12/2007, -14/+9Don't worry, the crappy graphics will insure that it won't happen.

      /Ducks
    • Renton, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I dont think the graphics would really be an issue on 19' black and white TVs ;)
  • alienSkull, on 10/12/2007, -0/+24Good job Nintendo.

    Bringing games to the non-gamers, which I guess makes them gamers now, is a great way to expand your potential buyers, allow people (read: old Legislators) to understand what video games really are, and bringing happiness to those who have previously been bored with nothing to do all day.

    +10 to Awesome-ness skill
    • Artemiszero, on 10/12/2007, -14/+2You know what that means Alienskull? It means the nursing homes across the world will push the boundaries of gaming. They will demand a deeper more rewarding gaming experience.

      Or they could ask to pay $60 for 1/2 a controller and some mini-games.

      Looks like the later.

      Where is the innovation? The Wiimote is a fricken computer mouse. Imagine if these games were on your computer. How ***** off would you be? Innovation can come through a new means of manipulation, but only if the interaction is actually changing the way we play games.

      So far Nintendo has changed the way I play mini-games.
    • chingy1788, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5so you like moving two joysticks over and over again and getting some form of carpal tunnel?
      its not just a mouse, obviously you never tried a Wii or even seen people playing it
      just sitting infront of the TV all day playing that PS3 will your hand breaks
  • uberchaoslord, on 10/12/2007, -0/+28hahah from the comments:

    Don't give them a racing game, they'll wind up driving the whole time with a blinker on.

    classic
  • Xarou, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Reggie said that they'd be bringing it to a whole new demographic, and I geuss he was right.
  • SpaceDreamer, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5I can't wait to hear the grannies tell each other "You're gonna get pwned , n00b "
  • sonicdeath, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10I had the chance to finally play the wii this weekend. I must say that it was SOOOOO much fun. I have to agree with the old man in the article. Bowling is addictive!
  • MrMcGuire, on 10/12/2007, -0/+53Wiitirement?
  • Klarth, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10"Although Wii Sports features cartoon-like graphics and characters—imagery normally aimed at children"

    Argh. NO.
  • jenny1978, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Actually if you think about it the retirement home just saved everyone money. By not having to pay for transport to a bowling alley, the god awful price to play and the doctors bills because they aren't going to hurt them selves throwing real balls. Lets just hope they pass the savings on to the retired people.
    • jon3k, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"on to the retired people."

      You mean you, since 90+% of retirement home incomes are based in Medicare/Medicaid funds. Only a very small percentage is private-pay or insurance. And usually only for a little while before medicare/medicaid kicks in.
  • Artemiszero, on 10/12/2007, -15/+1The more widespread the appeal, the more generic the experience. It might even make it, ya know, a gimmick.

    My 62 year old dad could have been in one of those magazine articles of all the aging peoples who can enjoy the wonders of the Wii. The sad thing is, if they did a follow up story they would discover a horrifying truth: he got bored with the Wii and doesn't want to play it any more. He found out that he can just wiggle his wrist and achieve the same result.

    It has 10 minutes of wonder and a few months of shelf life. I'm wondering if there is more than two titles in the next year to justify the purchase.

    FFXIII and MGS4 on the other hand... maybe I'll sell my Wii to get that ugly, ugly basakwards system.
    • walnutthewise, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3That is why my philsophy is Wii60. Wii for fun and Party. 360 for online multiplayer and traditional games.
    • kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Few months of shelf life? If its sold out and selling far more than PS3, whats that make the PS3? Few days of shelf life?
    • MindStalker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Has he even tried other games. Go out and rent a couple of games, you/he'd be surprised there are some cool games out that can't just be played with a flick of the wrist. I'd recommend Raving Rabbids but I don't want to be liable for an old man getting a heart attack..
    • chingy1788, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Wii is even better if you have a group of people playing with ya or watching
  • ddobson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3This is truly phenomenal -- these are people who were already in their 40's when Pong came out, who have traditionally been well beyond the reach of videomania. I remember my grandmother seeing Tomb Raider on the TV screen back in the 90's, and reacting by saying, "What kind of an awful-looking program is that?"

    On the other hand, these seniors were around when the hula hoop and sock hops were huge. Maybe they actually have a better handle on physical fun than the button-pressing couch potato contingent that has come to dominate gamer culture. Gamer culture is dead -- long live gamer culture!
  • RetardoCrisp, on 10/12/2007, -10/+1Hahah wicked!! Wii-volution(TM) will own us all!!

    Yeah I made Wii-volution up, so it is mine!!! >=)
  • nsjoker, on 10/12/2007, -15/+1When people past 40 start playing a Wii, then I know it's not for me.
    • ddobson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@nsjoker:

      Are you saying that your own taste for videogames will disappear when you turn 40? 'Cause I'm getting close to that age and have no intention of giving it up. (After all, it's a heckuva lot easier for me to afford a decent library now than it was in the 80's.)
    • kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Why, are you quadropledgic?
    • Azlen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I am past 40 and I have both a Wii and an Xbox 360. People my age hung out in arcades quite a bit when we were in school.
  • PaulOwen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18Dugg for the Abe "Grampa" Simpson-like closing quote:

    "You're not just sitting there pushing buttons and getting carpal tunnel"

  • RetardoCrisp, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5@ nsjoker

    Why is that?? "Cause it isn't hip n cool with the young crowd or not trendy enough? You have missed the whole point of video games and why they were started in the 1st place.
    • nsjoker, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1Yes, I'm not going to even argue with this, you're exactly right. I don't even run with the hip 'n cool crowd, it's just one of those things man.
    • kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4It's affordable, its cool, everyone loves it, and it has games. THAT MEANS I HATE IT!!!!

      Gimme a PS3 with like two games and uhhhhh well it can do linux... sometimes..
    • chingy1788, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2above are two people who believe that $$$ means better quality all the time

      even if they see two exactly the same product, same offer on two different shops, one for $1000 and the other for $100
      they would always buy the $1000

      to that I say

      "Hey do you want to buy my $1000 paper clip?"
    • robz0r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0To the above poster, they are probably the same people who purchase the gas thats 20cents more expensive because they think its better for their car.

      People like to waste money, its a fact.
  • nsjoker, on 10/12/2007, -15/+1It's gimmicky. It'll wear off, give it a year. Anyhow I don't like any console in general. PC is by far the best platform.
    • kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I thought the same thing until 360 games came out last year guns blazing- it has a lot more games for it currently than PC. Live is worth it too.
    • MindStalker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@kevin45 it has a lot more games for it currently than PC... Do what???? If your purely talking quantity PC has hands down more stuff.
    • kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3But not necessarily better games. How many top shelf PC games are there that are current (mid 2005 to now?)
    • chingy1788, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I play PC Games too, I like my PC, but the Wii is a totally different experience
    • skyfire1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3@kevin45

      You sir, are a ***** retard.
    • robz0r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The sad part is the shooter community online for PC games is complete dog ***** now. There hasn't been a good "unite the forces under 1 banner game" for ages, where as Xbox has had multiple good releases in a row, to continue to fuel that sector of its sales. Xbox is just a shooter platform, PC has RTS (you cant take RTS off the PC) and MMO's , and well counterstrike, but it has to be dying.

      I wont say RPG's belong there because, tbh P&P is where RPG's belong. I don't consider WoW a "RPG".
      Its a mass multiplayer online character creation game. Hardly any roleplaying involved. You make a character, you gear them out. That is that.
  • exscind, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Reports like this demonstrate that Nintendo's attempt to attract new audiences is working. Neat story.
  • RetardoCrisp, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4@ nsjoker

    It is gimmicky? You know that is what the Sony CO said about it 2 months ago. You sure you don't work for Sony? Funny thing is, it is still impossible to find/buy and it has outsold the Sony 10 fold already. Sure doesn't seem like a gimmick to me. It rather sounds like a.....Wii-volution baby!! Video gaming and all ages unite!!! WOOT!
  • MaximegalonInfo, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Story aside, I doubt MSFT/Sony is worried about losing the 70+ year old market.
    • ddobson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I think it'd be more accurate to say they never even considered the possibility of capturing it. Between the DS and the Wii, Nintendo appears to be actually expanding the videogame market.
  • nsjoker, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1..sigh nevermind guys. I simply stated that it isn't the right choice for ME. I prefer more competitive games that require a lot more skill that can only be achieved via kb and mouse precision. Infrared controller doesn't offer that, and of course if you have a small TV sub 20" like me the Wii doesn't really cut it. I'm not knocking Nintendo at all, I love Nintendo. I've played the Wii and it just doesn't work. It is fun, but after a few spins with it I became bored and wanted my Counter-Strike back. I think it's great that it's appealing to young and old people alike, because at the end of the day video games are meant to entertain people. However, the Wii doesn't appeal to me.

    I also don't work for Sony. I despise Sony... except for Santa Monica Studios which made God of War 1/2. :)
  • thejart, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0awesomely awesome!
  • henrythehorse, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2Sounds like the Wii and its users have the same life expectancy, one more year left before they die.
  • SonicAD, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Here's Jack Thompson's next target! Because they play video games, they're killers (probably with a cane)! *sigh*
    • ShivaOritiner, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Better with a cane than on the road to get their 11am dinner at the Old Country Buffet.
    • robz0r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Its the country kitchen iirc.
  • popfrogs, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2This couldn't be more perfect. These folks will be wearing bifocals and trifocals and will never notice how bad the graphics suck. Good for them, good for them.
  • rockyHardcore, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1hahaha... old people
  • Blackmane, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Hey, I live in Lincolnshire, I would if they would let me pop down to have a go, I havn't got my Wii yet :(
  • beerunifies, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070216nintendo,1,609357.story?coll=chi-news-hed

    username: bugmoinot@gmail.com
    password: youbbuggin
  • mogdor, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1........so that's why nursing homes smell like wii!!!

    sorry had to say it, digg me down
  • nbcivic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i wonder what their miis look like lol.
  • follower64, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This is why the Wii is number 1, and it will stay that way for a long time. I still have a lot of trouble trying to find another Wiimote! (3 is such and odd number)
    • gkeirns, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Seems like the best bet on finding more wiimotes is to check department stores with technical departments. Everytime I go into Zellers there is a couple wiimotes and even occasionally a Wii or 2, which sell out quickly but get restocked quickly as well. The lady behind the counter said they get a couple shipments a week and they never sit on the shelf for longer than a few hours.
    • georgiepiebob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1see if you can find a copy of wii play, comes with one for only $10 more... oh.. wait... that's sold out too... damn
  • ShivaOritiner, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I really love that the Wii can be enjoyed by persons of all ages. It was very rewarding to play with the Wii with my in-laws last thanksgiving. My mother in law who's in her sixties just fell in love with the bowling. She used to bowl in Brooklyn in her hay day and this was a nice and non-threatening way for her to enjoy an old passtime.

    My mom, who's only real video game love was for Ms. Pac Man, loves Raving Rabbids. I've never seen a woman so happy to toss a cow so much.

    I'm for an all ages system!
  • pathetik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I love you Grandpa and I miss you ! ;)
  • ranalicious, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2that's so cute!
  • grumpyrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I wonder if Nintendo will add a Mii blue rinse perm hair style for the new found gamers. I can just picture them playing Charge!
  • Soulglow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I don't know why i'm thinking this, but if i do live to be that age (40-50 years from now) my retirement home is gonna have the most badass virtual reality nintendo system available. :)
  • dubled, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is good exercise for old people. This game console is actually life changing when you think about it.

    If the Wii wasn't around odds are these old people would be sitting there watching Wheel of Friggin fortune rather than using there body by moving around.

    This console is totally kicking ass and it will continue to do so for a very long time.
  • wjtrocks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0wow... i hope i have that much spunk at that age. right on
  • titanium, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I saw this same article on http://www.wiitirement.com. I don't know how many retirement communities there are, but I bet more and more will be purchased for these type of activities as time progresses.
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