Wii did it

So I finally got a Nintendo Wii. It's primarily to be used for daily workouts; my copy of Wii Fit with its balance board arrives sometime this week. With this 'game' I plan on spending time doing lite yoga and running exercises and training to be at minimum a little better physically. I want to focus on cardiovascular fitness as I have hypertension. More physical workouts like running will help, and the yoga will improve circulation and help bring a bit of balance and calmness.

Only then, I thought, will I consider joining a gym, or if that proves too costly, take up running and signing up for yoga classes.

The Wii came with Wii Sports, a collection of games - boxing, tennis, bowling, baseball, and golf - that at first glance seem to be more about showing off the innovative motion sensitive interface technology. But believe me, you do end up working up a sweat when physically swinging a virtual racket or trying to knock your opponent out with a good left hook.

When it first came out I wasn't so actively interested in the Wii. Probably had to do in part with my not being able to afford it, I was more inclined to spend money on games for my Xb0x 360. But now it's necessary. I love the idea of combining gaming and fitness, the former of which I already do a lot of, and the latter I seriously need to do more of.

^Okami, a uniquely beautiful game inspired by Japanese mythology, where your most powerful weapon is your paintbrush. Originally released on the Playstation 2, this game finally reaches the apex of its concept on the Wii. | YouTube gameplay clip

Still, aside from Wii Fit this console opens up the world of gaming for me that much more. Now it's physical. And there are now enough games for it I'm interested in. Okami also arrives in the mail this week and I never thought I'd finally get to experience such an original and beautiful game.

Now more than before, the possibilities are not only virtual, but also very real.