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Wii Fit 'traumatizes' kid by calling her overweight photo

The launch of Wii Fit seemed to go off without a hitch in Japan, but you had to know that as soon as it found itself in the hands of sensitive Westerners, trouble would occur. The game has barely hit the UK, but already the first Wii Fit controversy has kicked off, "devastating" one girl by calling her overweight. Uh oh ...

"My [relative] came round this weekend and we let her play on our Wii Fit," claims a poster on the DIS forums. "We have all laughed and joked about being told that we're fat and need to lose weight but I was gobsmacked when it told her that she is overweight."

To be fair, this looks like a bit of a problem with Wii Fit itself. The ten-year-old in question is 4'9" and weights six stone, which is actually a pretty healthy weight. Either way, the girl was upset by Wii Fit's judgment and apparently it took some effort to convince her she wasn't fat. "I know it is just a game but seriously we already have to worry about young girls starving themselves to look like the magazine models and now we have a game that tells them they're fat," the concerned relative states.

Rest assured, this is only the beginning. A game like this is fine in Japan, but just you wait until the sensitive, unaccountable American housewives get their claws on this thing. It'll be sh*tstorm central and no mistake. Personally, I don't need a piece of plastic pretending to be a set of scales telling me I'm fat -- I can tell from looking at the tits.

If I were Nintendo though, I would seriously look into toning down its classification of "fat" before hitting the States, because there will be blood in the streets.


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71 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Scientist tz's Avatar
Scientist tz at 05/06/2008 12:10
6 stones = 84 pounds = 38.1 kilograms

FYI
Samit Sarkar's Avatar
Samit Sarkar at 05/06/2008 12:12
Yeah, being a ten-year-old girl and weighing 84 pounds at that height is really not bad at all — no one wants to look like Keira “Skin and Bones” Knightley. Also, many more people in the West are overweight than in Japan, so Nintendo is going to have to change their definition of “fat”. And as I said, assuming that Wii Fit uses BMI as an indicator of healthful weight, there are going to be more errors like this.
Barcode's Avatar
Barcode at 05/06/2008 12:14
ROFL

I am glad I am not some person so is easily sensitive by what other people say.

Who knows, she may've been moving around on that thing and it caused it to not be able to record her weight right.
Tenro's Avatar
Tenro at 05/06/2008 12:17
As a sort-of-fat-guy, I don't much care about a piece of hardware giving me crap. Then again, I wasn't even considering buying WiiFit, so...
Mikescool's Avatar
Mikescool at 05/06/2008 12:18
i think they need to increase the BMI scale a bit for Americans. Asians tend to be slim naturally so yeah.
F Whipple's Avatar
F Whipple at 05/06/2008 12:19
While this will be brutally honest with some people (as needed), just about anyone who is muscular is going to be "overweight."
MaxVest's Avatar
MaxVest at 05/06/2008 12:22
There is an error somewhere. The numbers reported give a BMI of about 18, which is actually underweight. Wii Fit will not deliver an "overweight" message with that score.
Mikescool's Avatar
Mikescool at 05/06/2008 12:24
@MaxVest

isn't it obvious, she reported an incorrect weight for the kid, she is probably overweight. they said 6 stones, how accurate is that, it's like saying, oh i weigh like 100 pounds...

@F_Whipple

Nintendo is obviously not targeting this game at ripped guys like me ;)

lol
MaxVest's Avatar
MaxVest at 05/06/2008 12:25
Oops, should have looked at the source. The original poster says the girl is 4' 9" and 92 pounds, which gives a BMI of about 20. This is still on the low side of normal, and Wii Fit won't tell you you're fat if you get that score either. Maybe she entered the wrong height, or the scale is off.
s0lesurviv0r's Avatar
s0lesurviv0r at 05/06/2008 12:27
I'm gonna whip up some popcorn and watch CNN so I'll be ready when the first batch of lawsuits gets flung at nintendo. I can't wait for the interview of a woman in a mumu saying she has never been so insulted.
MaxVest's Avatar
MaxVest at 05/06/2008 12:28
... and reading further, it says the Wii scales are off if you use them on carpet (they were), and will adjust correctly if you put it on a hard surface. You know, like every other scale in the world.
The-Excel's Avatar
The-Excel at 05/06/2008 12:29
This is exactly the kind of wake-up call America needs right now.
that1dood's Avatar
that1dood at 05/06/2008 12:31
Either way, people should calm down a bit about a game telling you you're fat. You don't see people getting all up in arms over brain age telling you you're stupid.
blehman's Avatar
blehman at 05/06/2008 12:32
I wonder if it would be easier on the kid if wiifit "mooed" at them...
MissHinasaki's Avatar
MissHinasaki at 05/06/2008 12:33
I am laughing.
The-Excel's Avatar
The-Excel at 05/06/2008 12:33
@that1dood:
Americans are used to being called stupid. Just look at all the documentary filmmakers and satirists these days. They berate the country they're in all the time and get praised for it.
mattynunchucks's Avatar
mattynunchucks at 05/06/2008 12:35
Every once in a while Wii Fit should throw a "and you're ugly too." for good measure.
Boolean's Avatar
Boolean at 05/06/2008 12:39
From what I've heard this game calls everyone a fat bastard when you start, but it quickly evens out to a more average result after a couple of plays (same as Brainage). I guess it's Nintendos way of trying to motivate you.
Grapefruit Juice's Avatar
Grapefruit Juice at 05/06/2008 12:45

"Ill pretend its a hover-board, Weeeeey Im flying!"
Bioautographical's Avatar
Bioautographical at 05/06/2008 12:45
Nintendo shouldn't be touched for this.

After all, there are plenty of parasitic douchebags walking around in the world who will make disparaging comments about peoples' weight, and THEY don't get sued.
AlucardX24's Avatar
AlucardX24 at 05/06/2008 12:59
OH IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN...
Tubatic's Avatar
Tubatic at 05/06/2008 13:03
to be fair, that weight /height scale is pretty unforgiving. My 5'11 , 286lbs bodice scoffs at the notion that my healthy weight is around 140lbs. bullsh- !


::cries his fat-ass back to work::
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 05/06/2008 13:04
So it would tell me "GTFO ME YOU LARDASS"
Phoenix Gamma's Avatar
Phoenix Gamma at 05/06/2008 13:05
Yea, American "fat" and Japanese "fat" are totally different weights.
Knives's Avatar
Knives at 05/06/2008 13:09
Just wait till kids at her school find out about this.
3dd13's Avatar
3dd13 at 05/06/2008 13:11
Fat Americans just need to suck it up. Your fat. Your poor. Your ugly. Deal with it.
SLiFE's Avatar
SLiFE at 05/06/2008 13:19
So overweight automatically equals fat?
tr0tsky's Avatar
tr0tsky at 05/06/2008 13:23
@3dd13

and "you're" bad at grammar :P

<- Canadian
crila's Avatar
crila at 05/06/2008 13:28
being a rather skinny american i find this hilarious. watching fat people react to being called fat is like watching a train wreck. that is, if the train was carrying jello.
mabman's Avatar
mabman at 05/06/2008 13:31
its rough when America has more food than the rest of the world. LET THE FLAMES BEGIN!
Velt's Avatar
Velt at 05/06/2008 13:34
I would love if the damn thing just screams when someone too fat stands over it.
MaximusPaynicus's Avatar
MaximusPaynicus at 05/06/2008 13:36
@3dd13
You're filled with self-hate, aren't you?
naia-the-gamer's Avatar
naia-the-gamer at 05/06/2008 13:37
@Max Vest:

So wait, the balance board gets screwed up on a carpet? How am I supposed to use it then?! The only hard floor I have in my apartment is the kitchen and the bathroom!!

and the point to using it is to accurately dictate how your balance and weight are right? Which it won't do!

That's extremely problematic
TheToiletDuck's Avatar
TheToiletDuck at 05/06/2008 13:42
phat!
Satsumomo's Avatar
Satsumomo at 05/06/2008 13:46
6 stones? What the hell, do you also measure distances by twigs?

I may live in a 3rd world country, but at least we don't use measurements from the days we wiped our butts with rocks.
mistic's Avatar
mistic at 05/06/2008 13:58
lol what a tw@ :-)
CelicaCrazed's Avatar
CelicaCrazed at 05/06/2008 13:58
People just hate the truth.
d e v i l e's Avatar
d e v i l e at 05/06/2008 14:05
As we all know, being sued has nothing to do with breaking laws and everything to do with having a lot of money.
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 05/06/2008 14:13
That's kind of shitty. She doesn't sound fat at all. Poor kid. Telling the truth is fine, but this was just uncalled for and inaccurate.

As for me, I believe it would say, "Kill yourself."
Dan CiTi's Avatar
Dan CiTi at 05/06/2008 14:32
No, they should keep it as is.
Vitamin Awesome's Avatar
Vitamin Awesome at 05/06/2008 14:43
Lawl manboobs.
Aberrant Thought's Avatar
Aberrant Thought at 05/06/2008 14:48
Well, weight is a curious issue in this country. As a formerly fat person, I can attest to that. I can also attest to fact that I was fat because I ate garbage, drank soda to excess, and did little in terms of physical activity.

People will flip wigs about this because fat people don't like being told so. (For the most part I mean.) I imagine lawsuits and teary-eyed housewives.

As for Kannon's suggestion that purchasing this product will '...more thrifty in what they buy eat or do. Wii Fit is just the tool needed to tell American's LOOK...' That is ludicrous. Americans need to buy a $250 console, plus however expensive the game is itself, and the $29.99 MadCatz yoga pad. and this is supposed to teach Americans how to spend money properly?

BAH!
Visc's Avatar
Visc at 05/06/2008 14:49
That picture is so full of win.

Games need to insult people more often. I remember a story about some girl picking up a second hand version of Animal Crossing on the DS and it calling her a smutcunt or something.

Marvellous.
Syn's Avatar
Syn at 05/06/2008 14:53
Why did they waste their money on this crap anyway?
teach4food's Avatar
teach4food at 05/06/2008 14:54
Isn't the whole point of the game to convince people that

A. They are out of shape

and

B. The WiiFit will help

so their market is "fat" people. The whole thing is stupid. I found a picture of the kid by the way, enjoy
TrailerParkJesus's Avatar
TrailerParkJesus at 05/06/2008 15:02
I'm with Wiifit on this one.

I mean, if a fat girl stepped on me, I'd call them fat too.
Volomon's Avatar
Volomon at 05/06/2008 15:13
Tits or it didn't happen.
Yuphrum's Avatar
Yuphrum at 05/06/2008 15:17
I can't help but laugh at the silliness of this situation, bt in all seriousness girls can be really uptight about their weight
Druid 01's Avatar
Druid 01 at 05/06/2008 15:19
*points and laughs*
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 05/06/2008 15:23
It probably goes by the body mass index, which is totally bunk. At 5'4", 180 lbs, I'm considered obese by the BMI. If you saw me, you'd know I'm not anywhere near being obese.
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