Binge Gamer Dot Net

As if there hasn’t already been enough controversy about kids and video games lately, with the release of Wii Fit, parents everywhere are getting their panties in a bunch once again. The reasoning? Apparently the game is calling some kids “fat.”

At the center of the debate is the game’s use of the Body Mass Index (BMI) as a means of judging the health of its players. After standing on the game’s innovative Balance Board peripheral and entering basic information like height and weight, the game doles out an overall BMI number as well as a label, such as “underweight,” “ideal,” or in some cases, “fat.” While the somewhat callous system is reasonably accurate in determining the BMI of adults, a child’s BMI can literally change from day to day. Experts have deemed its use in Wii Fit misleading.

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Here’s the thing. This is a video game. I’ve been against Wii Fit’s marketing strategy from the start. A video game isn’t supposed to replace exercise in anyone’s daily life - adults or children. That’s Nintendo’s fault for marketing the product as a weight loss solution and the general public’s fault for being fucking idiots. Here’s one person’s reaction:

“I’m absolutely aghast that children are being told they are fat,” said Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum. “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.”

Do you see the problem in this? People are caring what a video game says about their health! If I cared what my Wii said, I’d be depressed at the fact that Wii Sports has me pegged at 47 years old, mostly because I’m not coordinated enough to bowl very well. It. Is. Just. A. Game.

And if you kid is upset about being called fat, that’s your fault as a parent. I get it - tons of kids have low self-esteem. It can be crushing for a 13-year-old girl to be called fat.

However, as a parent, you need to be teaching your kids about health from the start. If they’re educated about what is overweight and what is not, the self-esteem issues will begin to melt away. I should know - as a child, I wasn’t in shape at all. No one every called me fat at home, but really, I wish they would have. Everyone ignored it to spare my feelings, and I was instead teased at school. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I figured out on my own how to eat and exercise in healthy ways and get down to a normal weight.

So, whether your child is underweight, overweight, or just perfect, talk to them about being “fat.” It isn’t a subject you should dance around because your kid if self-conscious about weight. If you do this from the start, they’ll know as a healthy kid that a little white box called them fat is ridiculous and they can laugh at it just like they laugh at Wii Sports calling them middle-aged.

…And furthermore, don’t fool yourself. Tons of kids out there really are fat. Looking fit doesn’t automatically make you healthy. See you doctor, not a video game, to find out more.