March 31, 2009

Man Dies While Playing 'Wii Fit', Was He Healthy Otherwise?

Let me be very clear up front: I am not mocking the man that unfortunately died while exercising on Wii Fit. I am mocking mainstream press coverage of the unfortunate event.

First, the story. A 25-year old man collapsed while 'jogging' on the Wii Fit Balance Board and was declared dead on arrival by paramedics. The man was reportedly "fit and well" and enjoyed things like fishing and playing the drums. This is what I have a problem with...

The man obviously was not "fit and well." How do I know this? He died while doing moderate exercise on a 2-inch step. Sometimes, things like this happen without warning. It certainly isn't the Wii Fit's fault. People die every day and go unmentioned in the news, but the mainstream press sees that he was playing a video game and it's time to write an article.

This sensationalism is unneeded. This doesn't mean that the Wii Fit is a danger to the millions exercising on the Balance Board. This isn't about a manufacturing flaw in the board that makes it dangerous. The man was just exercising and it was too much for him, for whatever reason.

It's no different than "after this commercial break, we'll tell you what household object could be killing you..."

Source

No comments: