Wii Gaming

Wii gaming has great appeal to people because it is interactive, physical and you can do it at anytime, any weather. The player can be as active as they like, from a game of 10 pin to a powerful game of tennis. Even more importantly, you do not have to be an expert and you can do it in the privacy of your own home.

When you think of gamers, you envisage one or more bodies huddled around a TV screen with theur shoulders hunched and eyes glued to the screen. With the Wii game, people are upright and more physical, which attracts a different type of player.

Wii's are an excellent OT tool to help in the engagement of meaningful "and fun" occupation, which assists balance, executive cognition functions and balance to name a few. It can be used over a range of ages from children to the elderly, as a welcome relief to other more mundane therapies. It creates distraction for a client and an opportunity to compete and interact with others while giving their bodies a good "work out."

The developers of Wii are creating new applications continuously at the moment as this new game has taken over the industry. It is quite unique and there is great interst in being able to use the game in the health sector, particularly therapy.

One organisation using the Wii is the Medical College of Georgia, where a group of researchers have been studying Parkinsons Disease to determine if occupational therapy will enhance the treatment of the disease. Participants are playing sports, such as baseball in their therapy sessions (www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407074534.htm).