Comments on: Wii Fit Dares to Call Young Girl ‘Fat’ – Experts Call For Parental Warning (and even a ban)

By: Wii Fits into CFS exercise plan

Wii Fits into CFS exercise plan — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:54:13 +0000

[...] obscenities at your trainer if he or she chides you afterwards. However, if you think you may be overly affected by the scoring in the game, or its assessment of your body type (using the inaccurate BMI), then [...]

By: Wii Fit Plus

Wii Fit Plus — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:24:42 +0000

Its just a game, I mean professional athletes stand on this and it tells them they are fat, but thats only because muscle weighs more than fat and clearly it cant detect the difference.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:01:41 +0000

And we wonder why girls are becoming anorexic with people calling them “porkers” and telling them to just “get off their asses”. Being a recovered victim of chubbiness myself (Yes I did “get off my fat ass” so I can afford to talk), I would like to ask people whether they know the incredible psychological harm they inflict on someone when they call someone “fat”. You could could be actually turning you’re life around and then suddenly someone calls you that and you almost give up or worse yet become desperate and sacrafice you’re health to get skinny. There were periods when I would starve myself for days out of shame and only after I learnt to block out the hate could I successfully become a new person. So in short we should be encouraged, not criicised.

By: DSI stock

DSI stock — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:15:29 +0000

Guys, stop taking it all so seriously. It is just a game. Remember Duke Nukem from years ago, that used to call you a wimp when ever you wanted to log off. I mean come on.

By: Nintendo DSi In Stock

Nintendo DSi In Stock — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:19:56 +0000

This actually happened with my brother’s daughter very recently. She was a little upset at first, but in the end she laughed it off. Still, it’s pretty shortsighted of Nintendo I think – especially as they’re such a family friendly company!

By: Me

Me — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 19:30:40 +0000

Jesus Christ If everyone was that pathetic as to make a big fuss over a game then imagine what the world would be like? America? sueing everyone? im a bit underweight which the wii board sais i am and i dont cry to everyone because it called me that? and persides it wouldn’t of called her fat it would of called her “overweight” another example of her family trying to milk it a bit more.

By: BlueDarkness

BlueDarkness — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:02:48 +0000

The only reason anyone would be called fat on Wii Fit is either because they are fat, or because they have too much muscle. That’s why I’m right inside “normal” rather than in the middle.

By: DSi console

DSi console — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:43:25 +0000

Stop complaining about your wife working out. Maybe you should

By: Trina

Trina — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:44:15 +0000

We got the Wii Fit about 6 months ago and my whole family set up our wii person. My husband, son and daughter are all very thin and their wii persons were thin. I was considered over weight (which I was) and my wii person was fat compared to the rest of the family. This actually motivated me to loose weight and get to the normal BMI which I have. I believe that if it wasn’t for the wii to make me realize how FAT I was, I would have never lost the weight to get down to normal weight. Now my wii person is no longer fat…..It is a great GAME and exercise helper.

By: courtney

courtney — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:01:51 +0000

she is 84 pounds and 4’9″ which gives her a bmi of 18.2. normally that would be considered underweight. but an ideal bmi for a girl that is 10 is anywhere between 14-20. so it is at the higher end.

bmi tables in my nutrition school books use 17.4 as a reference bmi for children 7-13 years old.

still this girl isn’t overweight and bmi charts aren’t as accurate for people who are athletes.

By: Wii Fit

Wii Fit — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:38:26 +0000

I guess they can simply update the software to show different messages to users under a certain age.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 11:24:25 +0000

Yes, its all a bit much. You’re right, in life this girl’s going to have to harden up a bit. i mean only yesterday I was told I had a big head but I’ve measured it several times, and I just cannot see thats its any bigger than anyone elses.

I am, of course, considering having it cut off to save me from such comments in the future but I’m concerned that that’ll make my neck look unusually stubby.

As for you being a horse rider. I’ve met a few in my time (and dated one once way back – the memory of which brings a smile to my face for some reason :-P) and I personally would never dream of calling one overweight as, in my experience, they can very much hold their own. The Wii Fit is braver than I (and/or doesn’t quite have the memories I have).

By: OkAngeLnTx

OkAngeLnTx — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:11:23 +0000

Ok here it goes… I have a wii fit as well and it said, ”That’s overweight” when it measured me. My husband looked and the thing and laughed. ”He said for the money we spent, the damn thing isn’t very smart!” I have muscular legs and arms from riding horses my entire life. I mean shit,if they all get upset over this then I’d hate to see her or the rest of the family if someone called her ugly. Or heaven forbid it if she ever gets into a fight with one of her friends! Hell sue the other kids parents… cause her friend said she was dumb and took her doll and went home! Or RED ALERT!!! Her first boyfriend tells her she kisses like a fish or slobbers or that she can’t kiss at all. Would you take a dentist to court for saying the kid needs braces cause her teeth are crooked?!? Life hapens. It’s not the boards fault how it’s programed.
Look at the stickers… It says READ THE BOOK FIRST!!!

I’m suing… LMAO

By: Lachlan Mcgrigor

Lachlan Mcgrigor — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:15:55 +0000

Weird calling a 38.1kg 10 year old girl fat, that’s just about average. BMI measures height and weight, not muscel mass, which is heavy. The reason it called her “Fat” is because cause she swims and dances, she would have a lot of muscle, making her heavier.
But seriously, come on! Cry me a river. How can that make the news? People are such drama queens these days!

By: jon

jon — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:17:54 +0000

The Wii should have yelled “get off me FAT A**”
look face it if your fat your fat ——dont buy the game unless you intend to lose weight. A bunch of freakin wusses here.

By: Jman

Jman — Sat, 31 May 2008 02:01:59 +0000

Okey I understand that she might not be fat or somthing but she and her parents shouldn’t be complaining to the presses and stuff. People are called fat in school in public places and everything else. And they’re complaining about a game calling her fat. If she isn’t fat well okey then why is there a complaint. second why do you care what a video game says it’s just a game. Go out in the real world it’s worse than being called fat. When I say that I mean places that are starving and stuff.

By: Kajex

Kajex — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:31:24 +0000

@ Jeremy and Bobo

BMI is notorious for being a poor indicator of fitness, but there are far worse things to consider besides the fact that a video game labeled a kid as scientifically overweight- which she technically was, given that her muscle mass provided more weight than is average for a kid her age and height.

If you’re REALLY going to squeal like a stuck pig about something like this, I’d hate to hear the kind of bawling you’d get over a game that really DOES make fun of you- like Sinistar, Sea-Man and You Don’t Know Jack.

By: Jeremy Webb

Jeremy Webb — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:06:49 +0000

To be frank I am highly dissapointed at a lot of the comments to this article. I am a lover of games but a lot of you have displayed the same level of ignorance the mainstream press seems to use when talking about our past time. for a start the girl in question is not fat as a previous poster has stated but rather muscularly built. BMI is a notoriously poor indicator of fitness, also all those saying she should just get over it because its only a game obviously does not understand the psychology of a ten year old girl. Im not saying the game should be banned but this is am important issue that should not be so simply dismissed

By: Bobo Da Hobo

Bobo Da Hobo — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:21:04 +0000

For those of you that don’t know the whole story It was a girl from England that was a very fit and by “solidly build” meaning muscular individual who was playing wii fit with her friends and the game put up on the screen that she was fat and her friends laughed and made fun of her and when she got home she felt so bad that she told her mom that she wanted to go on a diet. Now for those of you that think this just a girl trying to get money or something I feel that that is wrong and that all she wanted was for Wii to change the game language and maybe change the game so that it is more accurate with the BMI cause a 10 year old girl who exercises regularly shouldn’t be called fat based on weight because of her age and growing

By: Weekly Weigh-In #10 « 200by40 - A Weight Loss Blog

Weekly Weigh-In #10 « 200by40 - A Weight Loss Blog — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:45:38 +0000

[...] Fit is turning out to be a fun purchase despite the naysayers and parents who get offended when it calls their snowflakes fat. But even with the fun factor, I’ve learned a few things (the first two being from a previous [...]

By: Lachlan

Lachlan — Tue, 27 May 2008 03:39:42 +0000

Well, if hearing bad news is worthy of news reports and legal action, seems like every doctor who gives an STD report is in some trouble.

By: Battisti

Battisti — Mon, 26 May 2008 06:07:42 +0000

Ugh.

It states in the instruction manual that while it can be used between ages 2-19, the BMI would most likely be off since they are still constantly growing.

In addition to that the main “overall” fitness measurement wii fit uses is the wiifit age… and how closely that age is to your real age. That uses your height / weight in addition to a handful of tests it has you perform. All in all that “wiifit age” is what to keep an eye on.

As mentioned above it also doesn’t call anyone fat… fat is more or less a derogatory term. It calls people underweight / fit / overweight / obese… which are clinical terms based on your BMI. which you dont need to have the game do in order to play it.

So it didn’t call her fat, it told her she was overweight based on their height she input and her weight the balance board read… which she most likely is.

By: Ace

Ace — Sun, 25 May 2008 01:57:14 +0000

If you are offended by being called fat(and you are) then lose some f***ing weight.

By: Kajex

Kajex — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:56:01 +0000

Also, Andrew Tingle brings up a good point- does that mean we can sue the makers of Brain Age and Big Brain Academy for calling you stupid? If that were possible, then the makers of “You Don’t Know Jack” would have been put on death row.

By: Kajex

Kajex — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:53:02 +0000

The fact that somebody got this game for this kid MIGHT be indication that she needed to shave off a few pounds. Unless they’re calling you Ms. Jupiter Fatcells or limericking about how you can’t get through the kitchen door, then you’re not really entitled to have a “BAAAAWWWW” moment to yourself.

That said, the fact that this game DOES use Body-Mass-Index is unsettling, particularly because the system itself is not accurate. Perfectly fit people could register as “overweight”.

Simply put, there’s no grounds for a lawsuit- Nintendo isn’t making fun of you, and it didn’t invent BMI to call you fat.

By: Keese

Keese — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:30:33 +0000

Boohoo. So a game called you fat, get over it. People are too easily offended these days.

By: Fun Link Friday » Games News and Reviews » Binary Joy

Fun Link Friday » Games News and Reviews » Binary Joy — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:20:47 +0000

[...] A young girl in the UK has been called fat by Wii Fit. the Daily Mail are calling for children to be banned from the game, and parents to be warned. Personally I think that childrens self images are becoming warped enough by culture (thin models and celebrities etc) but banning a game because of this? That’s bit over the top! [...]

By: Carver4006

Carver4006 — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:47:12 +0000

This is obviously an attempt to get money (probably for more wii games) because only a child would really get this upset over something like this.

Its called the Wii Fit. Of course its gonna call you fat, its used for losing weight isn’t it?

By: Wii Fit Review | Cole Ferrier

Wii Fit Review | Cole Ferrier — Thu, 22 May 2008 05:43:47 +0000

[...] Outrageous Article Calling For A Ban. [...]

By: Mechwarrior5

Mechwarrior5 — Thu, 22 May 2008 03:35:24 +0000

It’s made in Japan of course it’s going to think she’s fat

By: Paul A

Paul A — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:32:38 +0000

HAHA thats insane, it’s just like i was reading on RedvsBlue.com where one of their founders says “Big deal. My Xbox 360 called me a “fucking dickhead” while playing GTA IV. Sounds like fattie needs to man up. ” and thats the thing who cares Wii is a childrens game and besides think about all those trainers and other people(including friends) who call you fat i dont see any other fat people getting in the news because their gym trainer called them fat

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:36:51 +0000

The bit that made me laugh is the bit about how the obesity experts want the wii fit banned. Some people need a good slaping back to real life.

By: JethLordMaster

JethLordMaster — Wed, 21 May 2008 22:28:31 +0000

Hey little girl, guess what? If you’re pathetic enough to cry over a video game simply telling the truth, you give kids and gamers all over the world a bad name. Get over it fatty, and learn not to be an oversensitive little whiner. How did a story this ridiculous even gain mention?

By: Brad

Brad — Wed, 21 May 2008 21:24:09 +0000

I want to see A picture of the girl. She is probable fat and it is finally telling her the truth!

By: You're 'Fat', says the Nintendo Wii - VolNation

You're 'Fat', says the Nintendo Wii - VolNation — Wed, 21 May 2008 21:16:44 +0000

[...] ‘Fat’, says the Nintendo Wii Wii Fit Dares to Call Young Girl ‘Fat’ – Experts Call For Parental Warning (and even a ban) � … [...]

By: gamesplayer

gamesplayer — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:33:20 +0000

Wii fit is not very accurate for children. Its just a game! don’t take it so serious dude.

By: TiKiMaN1

TiKiMaN1 — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:39:09 +0000

Geez…I knew this was going to happen. O well. The truth has the potential to hurt sometimes. BMI is not the perfect measurement, but it is still pretty good.

By: reed

reed — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:53:00 +0000

Don’t do the drug deal! Roman will get [REMOVED DUE TO LONG LIST OF SPOILERS]

By: Quenlin

Quenlin — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:53:51 +0000

Stone = 14lbs, 6 stone = 84lbs.

100? Learn math.

By: LOL: Wii Fit Calls Girl Fat - Zelda Universe Forums

LOL: Wii Fit Calls Girl Fat - Zelda Universe Forums — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:49:45 +0000

[...] Wii Fit Calls Girl Fat Wii Fit Dares to Call Young Girl ‘Fat’ – Experts Call For Parental Warning (and even a ban) � … Basically, a "horrified" family wants Wii Fit banned because it called their "big [...]