Five schools in Worcestershire have used Wii consoles to get children who consistently missed PE lessons exercising. The scheme has been praised and there is the possibility other schools may follow. A spokesman for Droitwich and Worcester City School Partnership said:

“The use of computer games to increase physical activity levels and raise attainment to some would seem contradictory but with rigid structures in place and by using specific games students soon found themselves being active and engaged almost without realising it.”

However, Nick Seaton of the Campaign for Real Campaign has dismissed the idea that the Wii promotes fitness by stating pupils would be far better off in indulging in serious competitive sports rather than ‘this sort of thing’. He went on to say it is pandering to the views of the physically idle and looks like another gimmick. He said:

“Pupils would be far better doing serious competitive sports and games than this sort of thing. It looks like another gimmick. It’s pandering to the views of the physically idle.”

Last week an osteopath said he had seen a rise in the number of people with back strain from playing the consoles too much over the Christmas holiday. Martin Davies said he had 20 patients with “Nintendo Wii Syndrome” pass through his Cheshire practice in the fortnight after Christmas alone. Nintendo say it is easy for players “fully enjoy their games without causing injury to themselves” as long as they follow the safety guidelines.

However maybe we need more Wii’s in the classroom. A third of teachers struggle to use the technology schools are equipped with and want more support and training according to the NFER’s Teacher Voice Omnibus survey.