Blog Week 10

I believe that gamers have surpassed the subculture status and become a mainstream activity. While certain games have their niche markets the video game world has become so diversified that anyone can find a game that caters to wants. When people are asked to define a “gamer” many will think of the Dungeons and Dragons nerd that spends countless hours playing fantasy games in his parent’s basement but this is not the case anymore. With the advent of the Wii system video game designers have created games of everyday activities that can cater from the young child all the way to the grown adult.
A good example of this is Wii’s cooking game or fitness game that not only entertains but can also benefit the person playing. In the cooking game people must master chopping, grilling and baking to move on to the next level which in turn can actually benefit their real cooking skills. In an age where kids are living an increasingly sedentary lifestyle Wii Fit could be the answer to some these problems. With kids who are not fond of sports or the outdoors Wii Fit is a perfect “fit” for getting them at least a little bit active. With ways to track your improvements and different mini-games to satisfy different gamers the Wii Fit is becoming an increasingly easy ways to have kids exercise while still enjoying the fun of playing a video game.
Nursing homes are also finding this product to be increasingly useful to allow the elderly to get some form of exercise, especially in the cold winter months when deep snow or freezing temperatures can hamper their ability to go outside. Wii also allows the elderly or disabled a chance to play sports games that they may not be physically able to do in real life. Games like tennis, football, soccer, and even boxing can be played from the comfort of their own home without risking injury. Because of the wide array of games and gaming types I believe that gamers have become the mainstream.