Exercise and Games: The release of the Wii-Fit

Gone are the days where games were only played by either fat geeks or skinny pimple faced sixteen year olds with as much experience with girls as the Dalai Lama. Seems that the new demographic for game companies is women, more importantly middle-aged ones.

This morning, as I perused my emails that had arrived overnight, I came across this article:

http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=563982

It goes into the Australian release of the Wii-Fit. For those not in the know, the Wii-fit is an exercise game that is designed to help the player lose weight and keep fit. The immediate benefits are obvious; at $150, it's cheaper than a year the gym and far more convenient. It's also a lot more fun and while you sit and nurse your well-earned sore muscles afterwards, you can indulge in a quick run in Twilight Princess, should the need arise.

But it got me thinking. Last year in ITB750, we were told that women over thirty(?) comprise a larger percentage of game players than teenage males. If that's the case, why is it that game companies still release title that are specifically aimed at a male demographic? Hang on, I covered this in my ITB750 essay... anyway.

To the case in point about male-orientated released, no-one could miss the hoopla that has surrounded the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. Possibly one of this decade's more successful game series, the Grand Theft Auto games display all those traits that make educators, government and parents recoil in horror; violence, sexual themes, criminal activity and swearing. Yet the series remains a best-seller for the consoles involved.

So why is it that these types of games often sell better? Perhaps it's a case of disposable income. As teenagers, most of us have very little financial burdens (save, perhaps, if you have a car). The type of women that the Wii-fit is aimed at have families and homes to support and with prices and whatnot going through the roof, the amount of money left over for a woman to spend on herself is drastically decreased. I have a feeling that this will impact on the sales of the Wii-fit. But perhaps it will sell well with the teenage female. I plan to get one to test it out. It looks like fun, at the very least.