# My 83-yr-old mother wants a Wii for Xmas **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 1, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123 "2008-12-01T02:10:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123/21 "2008-12-01T17:49:37Z")
Penny arcade commented on this phenomenon with [this](http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/12/3/) comic strip. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123/22 "2008-12-01T18:23:55Z")
My MIL and my parents are in their mid-fifties and have Wiis (and my MIL is looking into an Xbox360; she’ll probably have one by Christmas). I saw a billboard in Dallas this weekend advertising an assisted living facility with Wiis. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123/23 "2008-12-01T18:37:51Z")
> [@Skylark](#): > > How safe are they for geezers? I take it Wii gives lots of realistic-ish simulation but almost none of the muscle stress, is that right? > Is there a Wii duck pond? There’s [Chicken Shoot](http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Shoot-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B000NVSPQM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1228156385&sr=8-1) and [Big Game Hunter](http://www.amazon.com/Cabelas-Big-Game-Hunter-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B000SFK0L6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1228156474&sr=8-3) and (tada!) [Ultimate Duck Hunting](http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Duck-Hunting-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B000QWZK7A/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1228156487&sr=8-11), as well as a whole slew of different types of “guns” that fit the Wii remote. Also, for the real sportsman, there’s [Hooked!](http://www.amazon.com/Wii-Hooked-Motion-Fishing-controller-Nintendo/dp/B000VRAUAC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_8?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1228156598&sr=8-8), complete with fishing rod. Wii rocks! ---
**Author:** ![CAT\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@CAT\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CAT_1)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123/24 "2008-12-01T19:49:11Z")
My friend who is almost 80 just moved into an Assisted Living apartment, and they have a Wii down in the lounge. She really likes it. They use it as therapy for the residents. I think a lot of nursing homes are getting them too. ---
**Author:** ![Jelymag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jelymag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelymag)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123/25 "2008-12-01T19:58:42Z")
Your other? I’m sooooo sorry. I just really couldn’t resist… ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123/26 "2008-12-01T20:48:32Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Mine was in my forearm, but I don’t have the excuse of being 70. I’m just a wimp with wimpy forearms. Yeah, I strained a butt-muscle playing last night. So I guess I have a wimpy ass. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123/27 "2008-12-01T22:27:49Z")
> [@Skylark](#): > > Is there a Wii duck pond? I would play this game. You could use the Wii-Mote to toss bread crumbs into the water, or wave it around to scare the ducks. ---
**Author:** ![katie1341](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@katie1341](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katie1341)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123/28 "2008-12-01T23:02:37Z")
Wow, I had no idea Wiis were so popular with the, er, older folks. I also didn’t know there were so many games! So, it’s the gift that keeps on giving- we now have something to get her for every gift-giving occasion for awhile. It’ll sure make her book club meetings more interesting! ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123/29 "2008-12-02T01:09:14Z")
Something that might be of use to some older people who want something more soothing (or people of any age, really) is [Wii Aquarium: Endless Ocean](http://nintendoreleases.blogspot.com/2008/04/wiis-aquarium-endless-ocean.html). I don’t know much about it, but it seems like it could be pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123/30 "2008-12-02T01:38:45Z")
It’s fun- you are a scuba diver exploring different oceans, interacting with sea creatures, and learning stuff. We love it. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123/31 "2008-12-02T01:44:56Z")
My grandmother (pushing 70) has a Playstation 2 and a Nintendo Wii. She plays _Katamari Damacy_ and _Dance Dance Revolution_. She buys war games for my 82-year-old grandfather, a WWII veteran. I have a pretty hip grandma. She usually knows about stuff before I do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-83-yr-old-mother-wants-a-wii-for-xmas/475123.md?page=1)