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Nintendo apologises for Wii Fit "fat" comment

Admits the game may not be suitable for younger children

NEWS: 19 May 2008 11:41 GMT by Verity Burns

Nintendo has apologised for offending anyone with its Wii Fit product, after the software came under fire for an incident where a young girl was dubbed "fat".

The problems started on an online forum where a family member of the girl involved posted up their concerns after the incident. The internet community was soon buzzing with the news.

Tam Fry, spokeperson from the Natural Obesity forum, said the Body Mass Index (BMI) used in the game was innaccurate for children.

He said: "A child's BMI can change every month and it is perfectly possible for a child to be stocky, yet still very fit".

Fry also called upon Nintendo to include warnings with the software for parents to be aware that it may not be suitable for children

Nintendo has said that it will not place a warning on the game, but does admit that the physical assessment on younger players may not be as accurate.

"Wii Fit is still capable of measuring the BMI for people aged between two and 20," conceded a Nintendo representative, "but the resulting figures may not be entirely accurate for younger age groups due to varying levels of development.

"Nintendo would like to apologise 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."

>> News - Could Wii Fit create bad body image?
>> Via - Gamezine


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Have Your Say
  • This is cobblers. The girl's height and weight mean she has a BMI of 20. The Wii Fit calls you overweight if you are over 25 (the accepted value). The girl used it incorrectly or most likely misinterpreted the results. Has anyone checked this?
    John Woods, UK
  • That is what I found as well. I think someone is LYING.
    TNK, USA
(Email address will not be published)


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