Nintendo is called in court

Feb 10, 2009 20:11 GMT  ·  By

The Nintendo Wii has become a true phenomenon since it was launched, as it introduced a lot of new things to gaming in general. You weren't supposed to sit on your couch but to actually get up and move around, thus performing a small physical exercise. The fact that people got into it and started buying the console like hot cakes made Nintendo consider other marketing schemes and titles.

Thus Wii Fit was born, a game that, with the help of the Balance Board, makes people indulge in mild physical exercises to get their heart rate up and make them feel good. But such a thing is similar to brainwashing thinks fitness expert Michael Torchia, who has called the Japanese company in court, filing a class-action lawsuit against Nintendo.

Torchia feels that through targeted marketing campaigns and the clever use of key words like fitness and the lack of warnings in regard to the injuries that people can suffer while playing on the Wii is something illegal. He now wants the company to make things right and stop stealing his own customers, who now think that they can do physical exercises at home instead of the gym.

“Nintendo is contributing to the epidemic of obesity. Young and old are putting away their gym clothes and shying away from going outdoors to play sports, because the addictive appeal to the Wii game products. Just as the tobacco companies created such a false image of their products and hid the potential dangers, so is Nintendo,” says Torchia, who also claims that up to ten people a week end up in a hospital due to playing on the Wii.

Although such wild claims don't really have the legal background to justify them, Wii Fit is indeed a phenomenon and while some people do suffer from mild injuries due to their clumsiness or lack of attention, it isn't something that asks for warnings like those found on cigarette packs.