It may seem cute to us, but there's still a world where Nintendo's consoles are just "a Nintendo" and the Wii is a hot Christmas gift that will bring danger and injuries to festive living rooms. Yes, it's that time again, British tabloids are asking "is a Nintendo a safe Christmas present?". Let's not mess around here, incontinence is a very real danger.
So, what could possibly trigger more coverage about the dangers of Nintendo gaming, particularly the Wii? It's thanks to some Dutch researchers that published their findings in the British Medical Journal, scouring two medical databases and finding 38 cases of injuries, some of which date way back to the good-old days. There's the case of two children suffering from incontinence after playing Super Mario Bros. for too long, and a case of 'Nintendo neck' after a youngster played their Game Boy for an excessive amount of time. Plenty of the cases refer to the Wii, of course, with severe instances including strokes, surgery for a hernia and a "massive chest bleed" for a player that got carried away and fell while playing Wii Sports. There are, of course, less serious instances of players picking up muscle injuries while waggling their way to glory.
Dr Maarten Jalink of the University of Groningen, who led the research team, said the following:
Overall, a Nintendo is a relatively safe Christmas present.
However, those who receive such a gift should not swing the controller too hard, they should be careful about where they play, and they should take frequent breaks.
Nintendo was even moved to supply a statement to the tabloid in question, The Daily Mail:
The Wii video game system is often credited with getting people up off the couch. But, as with any activity, people playing the Wii system, or any other Nintendo product should pace themselves and not overdo it.
Nintendo is committed to the safety of its customers and always includes comprehensive health and safety guidelines with its products. Provided these are followed correctly, a user should be able to enjoy their Nintendo product safely.
While there are a few cases where serious injuries occurred, it's humorous that these stories are still emerging, even focusing on the Wii in a time when it's barely selling in notable numbers due to its last-gen status; not many prominent Wii U games require you to swing your arms like a maniac, either. Nintendo is often the victim of these scare stories — the headline says "several life-threatening conditions can be triggered by your console" — and though we may find it funny there are possibly thousands of readers of these newspapers that'll take these articles seriously, even if they're wildly out of context.
If you do play your 'Nintendo', though, please be careful.
[source dailymail.co.uk]
Comments 29
The wii is still a thing?
The British tabloids always bray about pc gone mad (which is a stupid phrase tbh) but this kind of fulfills that? The cynical side of me wonders if there is some sonysoft involvent in these articles (backhanders). How about talking more about age inappropriate gaming by children instead of this?
Spme crap 3rd rate Journalist Hack got lucky with getting this published. . . . but it's a load of nonsense. . . . .
Parents aren't going to read this and think "Oh my God that's so dangerous, best not buy one this Christmas." Parents are more likely to ask "Does it play the latest FPS games?"
Wait till he gets his hands on the super dangerous wii u gamepad with its ultra sensitive gyroscopes and eye straining dual screen action
I'm going to be careful about this so I don't "accidentally" punch someone with the Wiimote. Thank you.
Wow, this article sounds more at home... in 2008, not 2014.
I've seen people on Youtube got carried away playing Rhythm Heaven and hit each other on the head with the Wiimote.
I almost never swing my GamePad around my living room.
British tabloids and American cable news have the market cornered on exclamation marks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_E79glEnj0
Watch this video about Wii warnings from back in the day.
Two years after the Wii came out, I moved all the furniture out of the way for a game of tennis - or so I thought. My hand went through a wooden panel, shattering it, and fracturing my middle finger.
By the next day, my finger was completely black.
My best sports injury!
"Nintendo neck?" Is that a thing?
I read this in the Metro on my way to work this morning. The "a Nintendo" quote gave me a good chuckle.
@RadoGoji there was also "Wii elbow" in the article amongst others.
Honestly, all this shows is how irrelevant/unknown the Wii U still is to the greater masses outside Nintendo fanboys.
Reminds me of that warning picture that shows up in any Motion Control Wii games, just with more colour.
My cousin hit me with the Wii remote within a week of Wii launch, while playing Wii Sports so I wasn't that surprised for what was to come. Then the HDTVs got broken, and my brother almost made it happen, but he caught the controller by the wrist strap by a stroke of luck and quick reflexs.
You guys make fun of saying "a Nintendo" but my dad doesn't understand the names of various consoles so I just tell him I'm going to go "play Nintendo" or "play Playstation." (I THINK he can make that distinction, he HAS seen that there are two separate boxes by the TV and he knows that only one "does Mario.") For him it's just a holdover from the time when people DID call whatever Nintendo had put out "a Nintendo" and I don't really see what's funny about that. It's more 80s/90s than anything else.
I call my Wii U a nintendo simply because i think it sounds better than Wii U (and no i did not play nintendo in the 90s)
@Sarcasticthing No; when a new console is released, its predecessor self-destructs. All of the systems manufactured self-destruct, leaving no proof that it was ever here.
"a Nintendo" shm
Well, there's a reason I call the writing in a High School bathroom stall the "Tabloids".
I have a magazine from 2007 that makes fun of those images...
@gatorboi352 How exactly does it show that? The article was talking about possible health risks while playing on the Wii. I fail to see how that ties in to public awareness of the Wii U.
Isn't there anyone in tabloid journalism who believes that people can take responsibility for themselves instead of being force-fed a cart load of Nanny-State-driven manure? Hey, numpties, I can work out all on my own when I need to be careful...sheesh... It was the Daily Mail though - you lose about 35 IQ points just for picking it up so guess they're targeting their readership.
Incontinence?
Gee, even back in middle school when I could spend days marathon-playing RPGs, I still at least got up to go to the bathroom regularly.
Oh God. They are still bringing up the time I crapped myself playing Super Mario Bros. in the news?
It was supposed to be a secret!
I LOL'D so hard.
I swear,the world is filled with idiots
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