Yes, scoff the day away, tubby girl. A videogame told you that you're fat. Kidding. You're normal, according to this Child/Teen BMI calculator.
After the news got out that Wii Fit told a 10-year-old girl that she was "fat," experts jumped on Nintendo's back, claiming that these readings could be damaging to children. Nintendo was quick to apologize for their game. A spokesman said:
"Nintendo would like to apologize 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."
Nintendo, don't apologize! Stick to your guns. I haven't seen this girl, but even her father says that she's "solidly built." Right. I'm just being mean now.
Dad goes on to say: "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."
Destructoid community blogger njsykora points out that gamers and others are already starting to take notice of this story and share their feelings in the comments section. My favorite?
I do not see there being any problem with children being told they are fat. If more children are told this maybe they'll spend less of their time stuffing turkey twizzlers down their faces and more time playing sports and enjoying lettuce.
Contest:
11:38 AM on 05.16.2008
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They do have a point, it's hard to see form a male perspective; but weight is an obsession for girls & they are very impressionable at that age. So one could draw an argument for it contributing to a body dysmorphic disorder & the unhealthy actions it might trigger.
she's fat that's it ...!!!!
Try to read the article you post I guess your gonna say 84 pounds is fat?
...but nothing beats a video game calling a kid fat.
Way to go Nintendo.
On the other hand, my best friend bought Wii Fit on launch, and she happens to suffer from anorexia/bulemia. Of course the Wii told her she was massively underweight, but it still hasn't stopped her from trying to lose even more. And the day she actually put on 1 lb? I don't think she ate a thing for 3 days or so.
Of course I'm not blaming Wii Fit for that... just.. I really hate fat kids.
Some people.
This is probably more a problem of trying to use a scale on a carpeted floor.
This story has actually made me want a Wii Fit, I know a couple (thousand) chubby children that could use this.
I fucking hate the majority of this country
fatasses.
mostly they show the usual fat guy trying to play and the tag line was "Gamers that get up from the couch". OH; OH; OH; !!!
the only good thing is that nintendo chile gave 3 wiis, with wii fit and some other games to a rehabilitation hospital. that was nice.
It's all right, we hate you too. And think you'd be lovely in a nice alfredo sauce.
I myself am obese. There I said it. It's simply true.
And I can stand it to be told... do you actually think because the parents believe differently that this 10 year old kid doesn't get a lot of feedback from others like school children etc...that she is actually fat... I wonder?
articles still have tags?
i dont see em...
where dey at?
Let me put it this way: Middle-schoolers are stupid and RIDICULOUSLY impressionable and concerned with what other people think of them. Girls especially so. ANYONE telling them their fat, let alone a glorified electronic scale that is SUPPOSED to be made by people who know what they're talking about, will effect the child's self-image.
As a parallel, imagine a young girl going to the doctor for a stadard checkup. She is of average weight and size and not at all fat. The doctor weighs her and promptly says "Whelp, you're fat!" That's pretty crazy if you ask me.
My young cousin (who plays basketball and soccer and is very fit) calculated her BMI online and it said she was slightly overweight which sent her into a spiral of calling her friends and calculating THEIR BMIs and finding out that most of them were on the border of what was considered "overweight" accoring to the BMI. I had to step in and talk these girls down and tell them point blank "It's because you play sports and are muscular. Muscle weighs more than fat."
Tween girls have it bad enough as it is (what with the media assaulting them from every angle) without a videogame telling them they should lose weight, too.
(you cant hate me for this comment, Wiifit would just laugh at me if I stood on it)
Oh and also, It's a VIDEO GAME! Not a doctor, or a nutritionist, or Richard Simmons. If we expect kids to be smart enough to not go stomping on turtles or hookers after gaming, surely we can expect them to understand that BMI is not an exact science, and that the talking balance board on the screen does not have a medical degree.
Her dad bought her this video game that was supposed to make her lose weight and get fit, wiiFIT, so her dad must have known she wasnt exactly a model, and when the game tells her that, he gets pissy?
Or maybe his daughter broke the board and this is all an elaborate plan to get his money back.
This story has actually made me want a Wii Fit, I know a couple (thousand) chubby children that could use this.
Don't believe me? Have you ever known someone in high school that never felt the sting of rejection? Had you known someone that still hung out with them when they finally got their first soul-crushing taste of it ten years too late? Was it as funny to watch for you as it was for me?
Also, as has been stated numerous times, her height/weight do not match the BMI's "fat" rating. It was a mistake. If you're not going to read the full story, don't comment... Heh, yeah, I couldn't say that with a straight face either.
I rage.