We Wii

A long time ago, in an operating system far, far away, I was a gamer. Thanks to Santa, I fear I’m headed that way again.

Back in the 1980s, I had an Odyssey—a well-done table-top console device that never caught on as well as Atari or Intellivision. My set was boxed up when I went to college, shortly after one of the two controllers stopped moving to the right, and now sits on a shelf collecting dust. I did my time with baseball and football games on my Mac, as well, before making a conscious decision to avoid games that compete for time with my computer work.

That lasted pretty much until this week, when the peer pressures of our social networks made it a priority for Santa. One elaborate series of clues from the Man in Red later, and by Tuesday afternoon the Makices were hurling imaginary bowling balls down virtual alleys.

Carter lets loose with a bowling ball, headed for another Wii strike.

The nicest thing about a Wii, for me, is the fact that it isn’t on my computer. My big screen time is severely limited by grad school schedules and deadlines. More than likely I’m going to come home early evening each weekday to find one or both the boys regularly throwing 300 games in Wii Sports bowling, the game of choice thus far for Carter.

Archie is a boxing man, although he tires so easily and hates losing so much—do they really have to put the words, “YOU LOSE,” up on the screen?—that he usually wants to fight with the computer instead of a willing relative.

We tried the LEGO Star Wars, briefly. While both boys (and their dad) had a fun time chopping things in two with a light saber, the puzzle part of the game is a bit much for impatient youngsters and an adult who grows impatient with their impatience. I’ll be fine never seeing that game again, as it also isn’t one that invites physical movement. Smooth moves, on the other hand, is this bizarre game with the feel of a New Grounds cult movie. Every game is divided up into 3-second tasks that vary the remote movement and keep you thinking and reacting quickly. All that, and a frenetic Asian technopop kind of music to keep you bouncing and strangely agitated. Best of all, both boys love both the watching and the playing.

Right now, the Wii is a cross between a Tae-Bo workout video and a modern version of playing Parcheesi on family game night (We had Carter’s Grammy throwing strikes last night). That’s a perfect level for my life right now. God help whoever gets me a Madden-esque football game before my dissertation is completed.

Archie and Carter figure out how a Wiimote can be used to fight Jedi foes.

There is a designerly/academic interest in this toy, too, he types to justify the acquisition. CMU’s Johnny Lee recently hacked out Whiteboard wii. IU HCI potential Drew McKinney took about a day to build one and tweeted about releasing on YouTube a comparison between it and a smart board. This is one possible Design House project for spring 2008, since wiimotes are infinitely cheaper than the large touch tables and electronic white boards available on the market. Maybe we’ll have a few set up for Drew to play with when he arrives in Bloomington.

Johnny Lee‘s wiimote white board demo